Quantum Destiny
by cmar
Summary: PRTF: What if Alex had become the Quantum Ranger? Jealousy and rivalry, loyalty and treachery, love and hate... Will Wes, Jen, Alex, and Eric find different destinies? Complete.
1. Part I, Omega: Awakening

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


As many of you might know, the show's producers originally wanted to cast twins as Wes and Alex, and have Alex become the Quantum Ranger. I think we're all quite fortunate that the idea didn't work out, and we got Jason Faunt as Wes/Alex and Daniel Southworth as Eric. (Presumably doing a lot of visual effects using one actor in the double role would have been too expensive - not to mention hard on the actor - so they decided to go with largely duplicating the Sentai 'Timeranger' Time Fire story.) But it started me wondering... 

This is set in the same mild AU as the 'Year of Time' series. See the author's notes for that on my website if you're curious. In brief, the future Rangers are from two hundred years in the future, both Trip and Katie are genetically enhanced, Trip is from Earth, not an alien, there is no communication between 2001 and the future, there are no zords except the Q-Rex, and Ransik's mutant allies are only Conwing, Brickneck, and Steelix. There are also differences meant to fill plot holes and explain questions left hanging in the series. 

Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Part I : Omega

* * *

Awakening

* * *

Year: 2200

_"You and me. Forever."_

The voice pulled him back, held him there, as he felt himself drifting away. Kept him from losing himself in dreams of fire and destruction. In visions of a tall black-haired man, wild laughter, brilliant bursts of energy that wrapped him in agony. In the final darkness that crept close, waiting to take him. 

_"You and me."_

_"Forever."_ Her voice, a faint echo in his mind. Her face bending over him, that deceptively soft face that he loved so much, now streaked with the tears running down her cheeks. He held on to that memory, and refused to give up. And slowly the darkness loosened its grip. 

"You and me..." 

He realized he had whispered it aloud when another voice answered. 

"Alex! Wake up!" 

It was so persistent he tried opening his eyes. Just a little bit. Light stabbed through his head, making him wince, but the discomfort eased after a few moments. He tried to focus on the blur above him that he sensed was a face. 

"Alex?" A man's voice, a face he was beginning to recognize, as his vision cleared and the memories began to return. 

"Captain Logan... Uh, sir..." 

"How do you feel?" 

"Like crap. Sir." 

The large face hovering over him smiled, and receded a little as its owner sat back. Alex opened his eyes all the way and looked around, seeing the antiseptic whiteness of a hospital room. More memories came back. A rooftop. The fight. 

"Ransik..." he murmured, then louder, "Ransik. What happened?" 

"You caught up to him at the prison ship. Went in after him. Somehow you ended up on the roof. The two of you fought." 

"And he won..." 

"I'm afraid so. He blasted you at close range. You almost died, Alex. We thought you were gone for a while." 

"Where is he... Have to find him..." He blinked, exhaustion dragging his eyelids down. 

Logan's voice became soothing. "Don't worry about that now, Alex. You'll be better soon. Then we'll talk." 

"No... Tell me..." There was something else, something important, he sensed it, the memory was almost there. But sleep came to claim him before he could find it. 

* * *

Year: 2001

"Wes! Are you planning to get up?" 

"Mmmm. Just another minute..." 

"I'm going to eat your breakfast, Wes!" 

That got his eyes open. Wes Collins pushed himself up, sat on the edge of the bed for another moment, yawning and combing his hair back with his fingers, then reluctantly got to his feet. A stretch, a quick trip to the bathroom, and he was padding quickly downstairs. 

Not the stairs in his house, of course. His father's house, rather. It had been two months, but he still wasn't used to it here, living in a dingy old abandoned clock tower, scrounging up enough money to live on by doing odd jobs. Quite a comedown for a multimillionaire's son. But he wouldn't trade places with anyone. Not when he caught sight of the four people waiting for him at the old picnic table they used for meals. 

Green-haired Trip grinned up at him. It was his voice that had called Wes out of bed. Tall, brown-skinned Katie turned to smile also. Lucas was still admiring himself in the mirror tacked to a support beam, but he looked up long enough to nod. 

And, of course, the one Wes reserved his widest smile for was Jen, pretty, brown-haired, already bent over her plate while scanning a computer readout. To his disappointment, she only glanced at him and smiled absently. 

"So, what's up, guys?" he asked, sitting and reaching for the closest bowl. 

"You mean, what did you miss by sleeping so late?" Katie asked with a teasing note. 

"As a matter of fact, yeah." 

"Oh, just a couple of mutant attacks..." Trip said. 

"Nadira was here. Wanted to go shopping with me," Katie added. 

"And Ransik dropped by to invite us over for dinner," Lucas said, straight-faced, as he finally took his place at the table. 

Jen frowned at them. "That's not very funny." 

"Come on, Jen, lighten up," Wes said around a mouthful of toast. 

He got a dangerous look in response. "Trip, how's it going with the communicator?" she asked. 

Looking a little guilty, Trip swallowed a bite of egg first. "Pretty good. I think I'll have it working again in a few more weeks. If I can get the parts I need." 

"Good. We need to know what's happening in 2200. Whether they can send us more help." 

Wes said nothing, watching her as she asked for a few details. Jen was always so businesslike. Part of him admired her for that, but a big part wished she would smile more often -- especially at him; maybe even laugh once in a while -- especially at his jokes; wished she would relax a little. They were all involved in the same fight, all faced the same enemy, but she never seemed to want to think about anything else. 

Of course, if he had lost someone he loved, he'd probably be the same way. Alex. Wes looked back down at his plate, his cheerful mood fading. Jen had seen her fiancé die, killed in front of her by Ransik, the mutant leader they were trying to capture. Couldn't really blame her for her attitude, after something like that. And yet... he wished, selfishly, that she could forget Alex... That she would look at _him_, and not see the reflection of a dead man... 

And of course that was the part he really hated. He was only there, they had only made him a Ranger, because of his resemblance to Alex. Because they were probably related, he might even be Alex's ancestor, and their DNA was similar enough for Trip to be able to persuade the red morpher to accept him. Alex's morpher... Alex's girl... 

"We need to figure out what Ransik's after here, in 2001," Jen was saying. "All we know is that he's trying to change history. But how? What can he possibly do now to prevent Time Force from existing in the future?" 

They all turned to stare at Wes. "Hey!" he protested. "Just because I'm from this time doesn't mean I know any more about what's going on than you do. This is all history to you, why don't _you_ know what he might do?" 

"We have very few details. Ever since time travel was invented, our history has been suppressed, to prevent exactly this kind of thing from happening." 

"But Ransik must have found out something," Trip said thoughtfully. 

"We have to hope he doesn't know much," Lucas said with a note of finality. "Have to hope all he knows is what we know, that this is an important time." 

"Yes. We hope." 

* * *

Year: 2200

Light. He drifted back to awareness, blinked into sunlight, stretched and took a deep breath. For a moment he simply stared up, until the strangeness of his surroundings penetrated his awareness. 

"Alex? How do you feel?" 

It was the same voice that had spoken to him before. Alex's eyes found its owner. Captain Logan. "I'm in the hospital..." he said. 

"That's right." 

And it came back, in a jolting rush. "Ransik... he got away, didn't he? I remember seeing a timehole..." 

Logan sighed. "Yes, he got away. With Nadira and Frax, in the prison ship, and with more of his mutant soldiers. We know Conwing, Steelix, and Brickneck went with him, and we think he took Venomark, although we can't figure out why." 

"He said he was going to change the past. Wipe out our timeline. Prevent Time Force from existing!" 

Logan frowned. "That's right. He's gone to the city of Silver Hills in the year 2001. A critical time. We don't know exactly what he's trying to do. But he has to be stopped." 

And another memory clicked into place. "Jen! Oh my God..." 

"Yes. You sent her after them." 

Alex tried to sit up, but sank back, his head spinning sickeningly, then settling down. "No! I should never have... She can't handle someone like Ransik!" 

"She's got Lucas, Trip, and Katie with her. And they've got the morphers. You gave them yours." 

"But... they can't even use it, it won't work for anyone but me. And they can't use the others without it. God, why did I tell her to go after them?" 

"It was the only thing you could have done at the time. Someone had to go, right away. You weren't thinking clearly, about the red morpher." 

"Have you heard from them?" 

Logan frowned again, an expression that told Alex the news was bad, even before he spoke. "Not yet." He looked up and smiled slightly. "But there's a bright side. Some evidence that they're using the morphers. We're seeing records of Power Rangers in 2001. Five of them." 

"Five? Someone's using my morpher? But how? It's locked to my DNA." 

"We don't know. Trip's a mechanical genius, maybe he got it to work for someone else somehow." 

"Damn." Alex lay back, closing his eyes, trying to think. "We have to do something," he murmured. "Have to help them..." 

"There's nothing you can do right now." He opened his eyes again to see Logan's face bent over him. "For now, just rest up. We have you on an accelerated treatment program. You'll be back on your feet soon. And then we can talk more." 

"Have to help them..." Alex drifted back towards sleep, then was pulled back by another thought. "How long has it been?" 

Hesitation, as Logan looked down at him. "You've been unconscious for about two months," he said finally. 

"Two months..." Two months, while Jen, his fiancée, the woman he loved, was trapped two hundred years in the past, trying to stop a powerful madman. Two months. But soon, he promised himself as he let drowsiness overcome him; soon, I'll be there to help her... somehow... 

* * *

Year: 2001

The prison ship was so _dingy_. So _dreary_. Nothing to do. No one to do it with. Nadira sighed with boredom. She had a television, stolen of course, but a lot of the time there was nothing interesting to watch. So many news shows and talk shows, just people droning on and on endlessly about things she couldn't care less about. Then there were the dramas, and the adventures. But she didn't know enough about this time, there were too many things she didn't understand. The comedies were a little better, but she didn't get all the jokes. The soap operas were just dumb. The only thing she really liked was cartoons, but they were on so early... 

Her father was no help, he spent all his time going through newspapers and magazines and the library files they had stolen, looking for his precious 'vital event or person'. The one thing he could change, so that Time Force would never be created. It had all sounded so exciting at first, escape into the past, change history, then when they went home everything would be different, better, and she and her father would be heroes... But now that they were here, it was just _boring_. Boring, boring, and lonely! 

The only other people with them were Brickneck -- a showoff, and he couldn't talk about anything except fighting, and Conwing -- who just gave her the creeps. Steelix had been there too, with his bragging and insults, until the Rangers got him. And there was Frax of course, but he was just a robot. Not a very nice one at that. 

_"Nadira! Where are you?" _ Ransik's harsh voice startled her. Just like him not to even say hello. 

She sighed again and picked up the mini-comm on the table next to her chair. "I'm in my room, Daddy. What is it?" 

_"We're having a meeting in the control room. Now."_

"But Daddy... I'm busy." A lie, of course, but she was so _sick_ of meetings. Strategy. All of them acting so _serious_. 

Ransik's voice became cajoling. _"Come on, sweetheart. You always complain we don't involve you."_

"Oh, all right." He was right, of course. What they were doing was important. Preventing Time Force from ever existing, that was the whole reason they were here. Maybe she could help. And it gave her something to do. 

All too soon, she was sitting in the prison ship command center. This small room contained the controls used for flying the ship. Unfortunately, after they had crash-landed, it wouldn't be flying anywhere else until they could finish repairing it. Ransik liked to use it for meetings, perhaps because he could sit in the captain's chair. Nadira stifled a giggle at the thought. 

Ransik opened the meeting by getting right to business. "I've found something. Not much, but I want all of you to be aware of it." 

"Information about Time Force? How it developed?" Conwing asked, his voice soft, but with the chilling quality that always sent a shiver down Nadira's spine. 

"Yes. Their origins are connected with Bio-Lab. As I suspected. I've found indications that a security force that works for Bio-Lab will eventually grow into Time Force." 

"But they don't have a separate security force. Just the usual guards." 

"Not yet. We may have come a little early. But soon, our target should become obvious." 

"And what will we do about them?" 

"My records show that there is one person in particular we should be concerned about. He will play a big part in forming this organization, making and keeping it strong. According to history, there will soon be a major attack on Silver Hills. Without this man to lead them and pull them through, the organization that will become Time Force will probably not survive. And if that happens, our mission will be complete." 

"Who is he?" 

"I haven't found a name. All I know is that he's their leader. Their commander. When we know who he is... You'll know what to do." 

Nadira raised her hand. "Daddy?" 

"Yes, princess?" 

"Who's going to attack Silver Hills?" 

Ransik only frowned at her, but Conwing answered. "Why, we are, of course." 

* * *

He stood at attention, waiting, along with the other new recruits, watching his new commanding officer pace back and forth, looking them over before speaking. The delay didn't bother him, it was a chance to take a look around, moving only his eyes as he continued to face front. 

They were in a yard behind the building they had just marched out from, empty except for various piles of boxes and cartons scattered around, giving it a rather disorganized look. It was obvious that this was a new installation, that equipment -- and people -- were still being put in place. At least everything was new, from the barracks he had been living in, to the weapon he had been issued, to the navy-blue uniform he wore. 

"All right. Listen up!" His attention returned as the commander, wearing the same uniform as the rest of them but with a red beret and red braid as insignia of rank, began to speak, pacing slowly along the line of men and a few women. 

"Most of you already know me. My name is Porter, and I'm your commanding officer. As of today, you have all become Silver Guardians." He stopped to stare at them. "What does that mean? The Silver Guardians are a newly created elite private security force, working for Bio-Lab. We are not police, or soldiers. We are in charge of protecting this company, and its clients, from a threat unlike anything you may have come up against before." 

He watched, showing no sign, but his eyes sharpened. This was one of the reasons he had decided to take this job. The money was important, of course. The opportunity. But the challenge -- that had been the deciding factor. 

"I'm sure you're all aware of the attacks recently in the city of Silver Hills. Apparently random thefts, along with some vicious assaults on both civilians and law enforcement officers. That's what we're here to stop. Our enemies are a group of mutants, or at least that's what they say they are. People with more than ordinary strength, equipped with advanced weaponry. No one knows where they came from. No one knows why they're doing these things. Finding out will be part of our mission." 

Their mission. He knew about missions, knew about combat, from ten years experience in the military. He knew even more about survival, from a childhood during which he had never felt safe. 

"I know it sounds incredible that this entire force has been assembled to fight a small group of individuals, no matter how powerful, but it's true. You'll find out first-hand how tough they are, when we go into action. That will be as soon as your basic training is complete, in another few weeks." 

He had been there for a month already, in training, as they waited for equipment, uniforms, and more troops. His group was only the first, there would be more. Getting in at the beginning might give him an advantage, when it came to promotions. 

"You've also heard of the Power Rangers. Up until now, they've been the only defense this city has. I'm the first to admit they've done a good job. But no one knows where they came from either, whether we can count on them, what their real motives are. Unless they prove otherwise, we will consider them allies. But we can't rely on them to carry the fight." 

The Rangers. He wondered, not for the first time, how they had gotten those powers. Those weapons. A man could do a lot with power like that. 

"This will be a dangerous and difficult job. Sometimes you'll wonder what you're doing here, why you're risking your life. When those times come, remember this; there's no job more worth doing than protecting the lives and property of others. You'll always be able to say with pride; I'm a Silver Guardian!" 

_I'm a Silver Guardian…_ He ran it through his mind. It felt good. An important job, the chance to prove himself. He would do it well. And that would be enough. For a little while. 

The speech was over after a few more sentences. The ranks began to file back into the building. When his turn came, Eric Myers turned on his heel in perfect military form and marched in line with his fellow Guardians. 

* * *

TBC... 


	2. Time Wave

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Time Wave

* * *

"Are you sure you're all right, Alex?" Logan was looking at him, a concerned expression on his face. 

"Yes. Of course. Just glad to be back at work." Alex sighed. They were at Time Force headquarters, in Logan's small office. Another meeting. More talk. He wanted -- needed -- something active to do, some way to help. They kept insisting he was too weak, needed more time to recover. Couldn't they see that it didn't matter, that whatever it took, he would find the strength to do it? "Just go on," he said. 

"Yes. Our plan to help Jen and her team. We're sending the Quantum morpher and the Q-Rex." 

The Quantum morpher. Time Force was developing a new set of morphers, with enhanced power and weaponry. And the Q-Rex was the most powerful weapon that would go with that new morpher. They could be a tremendous help to Jen, if they could successfully be sent back. But... "Who's going to use the morpher?" 

"One of them, or perhaps they'll find someone from 2001. The way they found a red Ranger." 

"No. A native of that time? Untrained? We can't trust a morpher that powerful to someone we know nothing about." 

"Then Jen or one of the team will use it. She'll have to make that decision." 

"That would mean giving up one of the chronomorphers. That's not the best solution either." 

"Then, what would you suggest?" 

He leaned forward. "Send me. I have experience as a Ranger. I can use the Quantum morpher." 

Logan stared at him, his face settling into a frown. "No, Alex, you're still not fully recovered, and it's too dangerous to send anyone through the timestream now." 

"I don't think there's much choice. We need another Ranger back there. Someone we can trust. I can do this." 

"Alex..." Logan said, hesitating. "The timestream's very disrupted, we don't know if you'd survive the trip, let alone the fight against Ransik. Better to send the morpher and let Jen decide what to do with it." He held up a hand as Alex took a breath to protest. "The decision's already been made. The morpher and the Q-Rex will be sent this afternoon." 

"But..." 

"That will be all, commander." Logan sat back, watching him, his face softening after a moment. "You'll have plenty to do to help them, Alex. We're counting on you to coordinate the effort to establish communications, and to send more support when we do." 

"Yes, sir." Alex pressed his mouth shut, keeping an angry response to himself. He was well trained. Knew enough not to protest orders. Time Force command knew what they were doing. But still, he wished he could do something himself, be there himself, somehow. 

* * *

"Come on, Wes. You're not trying." Jen blew out an impatient breath. 

The blond young man facing her across the practice mat they had spread on the grass in Hillside Park smiled. "Sorry, Jen. I'm not used to fighting girls." 

She scowled at him. "I'm a trained Time Force Officer, probably a better fighter than you. Is this how you're going to be if you're up against Nadira?" 

"Well..." 

"She's a mutant, at least as strong as you." Jen moved in suddenly, slipping past his guard with a stiff-armed blow, swinging a leg to trip him, and stepping back as he fell to the mat on his backside. "And besides," she added, "I'm over eighteen. Hardly a girl." 

"Geez. Sorry." He rubbed the injured part of his anatomy with a sulky expression. 

"You okay?" She held out a hand to pull him up. 

"Fine." He surprised her with a grin. "Watch out. This time I'll kick your butt." 

"That's more like it." She couldn't help smiling back. There was something so endearing about Wes. He could be irritating, with his habit of not taking anything seriously, with his jokes, and his tendency to be lazy. But he was also one of the nicest people she had ever met, generous and caring. And he had given up a very comfortable life with his father, in order to help them. Hardly the spoiled rich brat she had thought he was, at first. 

And it was easy, now, not to see Alex every time she looked at him. The resemblance was still there, of course. An amazing, exact resemblance, except for the hair color. But they were so different in personality, in expressions and mannerisms. Good thing, too, otherwise the constant reminder of what she had lost might have been too much to bear. 

Alex. Once again she wondered. Had he really been dead? His heart had stopped, but then the medical rescue team had taken over... She had assumed he was gone, but they had left immediately, needing to go after Ransik, to stop him before he could disrupt history. Not that their speed had done them any good, their ship had crashed, their morphers hadn't worked until they had been lucky enough to find Wes to help them activate the red morpher. And now, they were stranded, with no way to contact their own time, until Trip got the communicator working again. 

"But there's no time," she said now. "We have to get back, it's time for strategy class." 

"Chicken, huh?" 

"In your dreams." Still smiling, they both gathered up their things and headed back to the clock tower. 

* * *

"I'm bored..." Nadira pouted at her father, watching him sigh impatiently. She knew she was annoying him, but it was his own fault, for bringing her here, for taking so long to do whatever it was he wanted to do. He should have thought about her. Should have been more considerate. 

"If you're so bored, find something to do," he answered. 

"Like what?" 

"Go shopping. Find yourself something nice." 

Shopping. Nadira smiled. Her kind of shopping _could_ be fun... "I could use some new clothes," she said. 

Ransik raised a brow at her. "Then go. Have fun. I'll order some cyclobots to go with you." He turned back to his work, already forgetting about her. 

Nadira watched him for a few moments, almost offered to help. But he would only smile absently, pat her hand, and say, 'This is much too complicated for you, my dear. Run along and play...' just like he always did. 

So she _would_ play. And the city of Silver Hills would pay for her frustration. 

* * *

No, it couldn't be true... Alex stood in a Time Force hallway, staring blindly ahead. In the room he had just left, the scientists and historians were still talking, still going on and on about what they had discovered in the historical record, what was going to happen -- had already happened -- to the small team of Rangers in 2001. Talking about it as if they were only two-dimensional characters in some old story, only names in a history book, instead of the people who lived in his mind... Jen, and Lucas, Trip, Katie. 

It was all history... Assuming the Rangers succeeded in defeating Ransik, there would be a final battle. One which would end in the destruction of a good part of Silver Hills. And the destruction of so much more. His friends, his teammates, his lover. All gone, in a last sacrifice, all killed in action, all remembered as heroes. 

His lips thinned, his fingers curled into fists. It went against all his training, against all his convictions. He had never disobeyed orders before. Had always believed sincerely in the chain of command. But not now. There was no way he could let it happen, not to Jen. Not when he had a chance to save her, to at least be there to share her fate. His destiny lay with her, and there was no way to deny it. 

In that moment, Alex made a decision. Later, he would wonder more than once if it had been the right one, whether he would have done the same if he had known the consequences, not only to himself, but to all the lives his actions would touch. He made a decision, and acted on it. 

* * *

On duty, with nothing to do. Eric had already had a light workout and done some target practice. He could have joined the card game several of the other men had started, or watched television. But something in him hated the waste of time. 

They were all nervous, waiting for their first chance to go into action. He should be used to this, he had spent a good part of his time in the military waiting, just like this. Long stretches of boredom punctuated by terror -- who had said that, to describe life in the army? It was accurate enough, and just as appropriate for the Guardians, considering who -- or what -- they were up against. 

Just as he had resigned himself to settling in for some TV, it happened. The alarm that summoned them for their first mission. A mutant attacking in the city, their first chance to show what they could do. In seconds everyone in the room was on his feet, running for the loading dock that held their SUV's. 

* * *

The Quantum morpher... 

Alex stared at it for a few moments before reaching out to take it. It looked different from his familiar red chronomorpher. But the effect would be much the same. Another chance to be a Ranger. A chance to find Jen, to help her, and their friends. 

He was in the laboratory where the last tests were being performed, before it would be sent back to 2001. Where some technician had left it, lying on a workbench. Careless, but they wouldn't be expecting anyone to take it. To steal it. He lifted it, wrapped the strap around his left wrist and fastened it. The morpher was red and black, more angular than the oval chronomorphers. He stared at it, feeling the whisper of its telepathic voice in his head. 

Now that the moment had come, he was oddly reluctant. Somehow it seemed to mean giving up the red morpher forever, giving up his role as the red Ranger, the identity that had come to mean so much to him. But his chin came up. The Quantum morpher was what he had to work with now. And in a way it was better. It was a later design, and more powerful. 

He stood up, raised it to his face, took a step away from the bench, and said steadily, "Quantum Power!" 

It felt almost the same, perhaps a little more intense, or maybe that was just because his emotions were very different from the first time he had morphed. A burst of sparkling light wrapped around him, blazing through his body as his uniform was replaced by the red and black Quantum Ranger suit. When it faded he looked down at himself. Almost the same as the red Ranger. Darker, red and black instead of red and white. More powerful, he reminded himself. The better to save Jen with. He raised the morpher again to demorph, and looked around. No one in sight. 

He was on his way to the timeship hangars, the morpher hidden under his sleeve, when the sound of running feet reached him. Then Logan's voice, fear showing around the edges, turning him around to see the tall officer running down the corridor towards him, three other people trailing behind him. Logan looked frightened. Alex hurried to meet him. 

"Alex, it's happening!" Logan grabbed his arm, pulling him along, headed back for the laboratories, as he spoke breathlessly. "Something's happened, something's changed... It's a temporal shift wave... We have to send the morpher and the Q-Rex now!" 

"A time wave? But that's only theoretical..." 

"Not any more. It's happening. It's propagating from 2001. We have only minutes before it hits us." 

A temporal shift wave. A sudden, catastrophic change to an alternate reality, in response to a critical, deciding event. According to theory, the shift would travel like a wave through the stream of time, leaving a new world in its wake. So far it had never happened. At least as far as they knew. 

"Are you sure?" he asked, stopping and holding Logan back. 

"We're sure," one of scientists behind them said, her voice tense. "All the instruments are off the scale. Reality is changing into whatever Ransik's interference has caused." 

"Any idea...?" 

"Not good. Strong indications of the use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. War on a massive scale." 

Alex stared at her. Then he faced Logan again. "Then I'm going, with the morpher. It's our only chance." 

"No, Alex, I told you, it's already decided. We can't risk sending a human through the timestream." 

"You have no choice." Eyes narrowed, Alex raised his arm, his sleeve falling back to reveal the morpher. "I've locked it to my voice. Send it without me and it'll be useless to whoever finds it." He smiled coldly. "Like I said, I'm going." 

"Damn it, Alex... Release the lock. That's an order." 

"Sorry, sir. No." 

Logan glared at him coldly. "You know you could be dismissed for this." 

"If I succeed, and make it back here with Jen, it'll be worth it." 

With a last angry look, Logan gave in. "All right," he growled. "Let's go." 

"Good." Alex let the way as they started for the hangars again. "I've already prepared a ship. It's loaded and ready. Scanners, medical, weapons. Ransik has Venomark with him, I stole a supply of serum too." 

"Very foresighted of you. We'll send the Q-Rex right after you." 

"I..." Alex paused at the ship's door. "Come with me! There's room for you!" 

"No." Logan seemed calmer now. "Without the suit to protect me, I wouldn't survive going through the wave." He stepped forward and held out his hand, taking Alex's in a powerful grip. "Good luck, Alex. We're depending on you." 

"I won't let you down." 

With a last look, Alex turned and stepped inside. No time to think about what was happening. No time for fear or doubt. He raised his arm, morphed, and moved quickly to the controls. 

* * *

"Wes, are you okay?" 

Jen, of all people, trying to comfort him. Wes smiled at her. Almost worth it, just to see Jen look at him so sympathetically. They had been on their latest job, collecting garbage from a factory, when his father had happened to drive by and see them. Wes had tried not to be embarrassed -- even worse, ashamed -- to have his father see him dressed in dirty coveralls, tossing bags of trash, smelling like it too, reduced to jobs like this to earn a living. 

_'I couldn't be more disappointed...'_ That was what he had said. It had hurt, just why Wes wasn't sure, after all he was the one who had left, walked out, after finding out just how cold and selfish his father really was, when he refused to pay ransom for those kids Steelix and Nadira had kidnapped. But it hurt. As if he still wanted Dad's approval. As if he still cared. 

"I'm fine, Jen," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "Doesn't matter to me what Dad says. Or what he thinks." 

"Right." She only looked into his face, with a little half-smile. "Still, he's your father." 

"Yeah. Too bad." It came out bitter, more than he had intended. 

Whatever Jen was about to say was lost, as they heard engines and looked up to see a line of black SUV's speed by. They screeched to a halt only a block away, dark-uniformed men spilling out, setting up weapons, forming a line in front of a small but expensive-looking store. 

"What's going on?" Katie asked. And then they saw a flash of pink, the unmistakable movements of cyclobots, and recognized Nadira, running from the store, stopping abruptly. 

"Come on!" Jen exclaimed, starting to run. 

* * *

He was afraid. It only really hit as he sat in the pilot's seat and prepared to take off. As he tried again to calculate his chances of surviving this trip through a disrupted timestream, this mission against a powerful enemy who had already almost killed him. So many things could go wrong. So many ways to die. 

Alex took a deep breath. Focus. One thing at a time. Take off, open the timehole, go in… hope the ship held together, hope he stayed conscious, just hope… Then engines came to life under his touch, a deep vibration, more felt than heard. Another breath. And he moved a control, looked up through the viewscreen as the ship began to lift smoothly into the air. He turned it to take a last look at the small group of people standing on the landing field to see him off, his eyes picking out Logan's tall form. 

But... something was wrong. He could see it, the sky darkening, clouds suddenly seeming to flow across it like water, the air shimmering and shivering. Logan and the scientists were looking around fearfully. It was the wave, some rational corner of his mind knew. Hitting now. The ship's shielding would protect him for a few seconds, but that was all. He hit the button to open the timehole, saw it blossom above him like a black and violet whirlpool, and sent the ship darting towards it. As he looked back, he saw the Q-Rex lift into the sky, following him closely. And in that last moment, he saw more. 

It swept through reality, his mind not really able to comprehend what he saw, as everything simply -- changed, warped, shifted, became something different. Logan and the others wavered, their forms graying, shriveling, bones seeming to show for an instant before they were no more than puffs of dust on a sudden wind. The buildings around them were gone, replaced by the ruins of unfamiliar structures. The ground was bare of grass, the trees distorted and dead, no sign of any living creature. 

Just before Alex plunged into the timehole, he glanced in the direction of Silver City, and was unable to hold back a gasp of horror. The city was there... or had been. What was left was only a skyline of crumbling wreckage, blasted and blackened buildings, nothing alive, the aftermath of some terrible attack; the city he loved so much, turned into a place of death and destruction. Only a moment to look, but it felt like an eternity, and the sight burned itself into his brain, hanging in front of his eyes as he left the end of the world behind. 

* * *

Eric stared at his first mutant. Wasn't quite what he had expected. A woman, just a girl, really, and pretty. Not very frightening. Didn't seem quite right to be kneeling in a line of armed men, aiming a deadly weapon at a girl, pink hair or not. The robots with her were another matter, of course, he knew they were dangerous, some of them armed with blasters. 

She had come charging out of the boutique that had sent them an alarm, hands filled with obviously stolen clothes, that bunch of robots prancing behind her. Now she had stopped, and was staring at them, looking both astonished and indignant. 

"Who do you think _you_ are?" she demanded. 

Commander Porter answered her, boldly stepping forward from the ranks. "We're the Silver Guardians, part of Bio-Lab, protecting this property. Just stop right there and put down your weapons, or we will be forced to shoot!" 

"_What?_" She glared furiously. "No one tells _me_ to stop!" She started forward again, the robots at her heels. 

"_Fire!_" 

Eric obeyed, aiming for a robot. The other men had the same idea, the girl was untouched, but several of her helpers hit the pavement, obviously damaged. 

"You'll pay for that!" she screamed. Eric almost smiled. Whoever or whatever she was, she sounded like a B-movie villain. Then he saw her glance to the side. 

Whatever she saw there made her narrow her eyes. Eric risked a quick look, and saw only five people, three men and two women, in dirty white overalls, standing several yards away, watching. For a moment he wondered why she had reacted to them, then the thought faded as he concentrated on the battle. 

* * *

It was a rough trip, as Alex had expected, a whirlwind of swirling colors and energies buffeting his small ship, battering it until he was afraid it would be thrown out of the tunnel, cast adrift in the vast reaches of time and space, to drift eternally... But then the other end was before him, whiteness growing rapidly, until he burst out, sailing over a blue ocean, under cloud-spotted skies, trying to slow down as he shot over a beach, empty, fortunately. 

For a few seconds he feared it would end now, as the ship bucked, almost out of control. But then he wrestled it to a lower speed, and swept into a smooth turn, following the coast line, raising his eyes to see buildings in the distance, towers reaching up, not as tall as the Silver City he had just left, of course, but impressive none the less. Silver Hills... 

He had made it. Two hundred years in the past. It hit him suddenly, the realization. _I made it... I'm in the past... Incredible..._ No time for awe or wonder now, as the memory of what he had seen in his own time returned. As he began to look for a landing place, he realized the Q-Rex was nowhere in sight, and touched the controls to start a trace. 

The bad news flashed on the screen even as he saw a likely-looking spot above the beach, hidden behind a hill and sheltered by trees. The Q-Rex had gone badly off-course. It had overshot, gone into the distant past, about sixty-five million years... not much chance it would still be functional now... he would have to go after it... But as he tried to decide whether to open another timehole, the mutant scanner alarm went off. 

So soon... He'd hardly have a chance to catch his breath. Mutant DNA, in the direction of the city. Had he been lucky enough to locate Ransik so quickly? He landed as fast as he could, ran out of the ship, and a moment later was flying towards the city. 

* * *

TBC... 


	3. Reunions

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Reunions

* * *

The silvery gleam and jerky movements of cyclobots. A flash of pink hair in sunlight. _Nadira. _ Alex circled over the parking lot in front of some store she had apparently been caught in the act of robbing. Too bad it wasn't her father. But she was a worthy opponent too; he hadn't forgotten how she had tricked his teammates, helped break Ransik out when he was being transported to jail. He'd almost enjoy fighting her. 

And he looked at the men confronting her with interest, too. The Silver Guardians, judging from the information in that last briefing. The historians had told him how they were involved, they and Bio-Lab were the critical element that must be protected in this time. This would be about the time they first appeared. For an instant he had the sense of seeing history being made. 

He sent the Eagle, the personal flyer that came with the Quantum Ranger equipment, into a dive, pushed himself out of the cockpit, and leaped from it, landing on the pavement between the combatants, aware of the sudden silence as all eyes turned to stare at him. 

Straightening to his feet, he took a step closer to the mutant. "I see you're up to your usual tricks, Nadira!" he said. 

"Who the hell are _you_?" she demanded. 

It was tempting, to demorph, show her exactly who he was, the man her father had left for dead. But of course it was out of the question. "I'm the Quantum Ranger," he said. "That's all you need to know." 

"Another Ranger? Well, it doesn't matter. My daddy will beat all of you!" She shot an angry glance beyond him, raised her arm, and even as he grabbed for the Quantum Defender to shoot her, disappeared in a twinkle of transporter light. 

Alex growled in frustration, taking another step forward, but there was nothing but deactivated cyclobots left to fight. He turned, sweeping a glance over the navy-blue uniformed men still staring at him, and seeing five people nearby -- his eyes almost passed on, but then he saw her... 

He started for them, almost did it, almost ran up to them, almost shouted 'Jen', almost grabbed her up in a hug. Took a few steps, before getting himself under control, staring at them. But they were all looking at him like he was a stranger -- and of course he was, as far as they were concerned, in his suit and helmet. And as he took a second look, he felt pure shock knife through him. 

One of them was _him_, like a bizarre mirror image come to life. 

* * *

"My daddy will beat all of you!" the pink-haired woman hissed. She touched something on her wrist -- and vanished. Eric was startled, despite having been warned in training. Knowing these mutant characters could do that was entirely different from actually seeing someone disappear into a sparkle of light like that. 

The Ranger -- a new one, despite looking very much like the red Ranger they had seen in the news, but with black trim on the suit instead of white -- had turned toward them. He had taken a few steps, and was staring now, not moving. But not at them, Eric realized. At that same small group of five people, who were staring back, not in confusion, but in something like alarm. Abruptly he seemed to come back to life, raised his arm, then leaped into the air, landing on the small flyer that had brought him, which he had somehow summoned back down to pick him up. An instant later he was gone. 

Guardians were exchanging looks, astonished and confused by what they had seen. But Porter pulled them back together, his voice loudly ordering them to secure the scene. Eric rose to his feet and moved forward with his companions, checking out the wrecked robots littering the boutique entrance, making sure none of them was still a danger. And he took the opportunity to take a closer look at the small group both Pink-hair and the mystery Ranger had found so fascinating. And got another surprise. 

Later he would wonder what he had been thinking, to break discipline like that. But he did it. Walked up to them, faced them, close enough to be sure. He had known, of course, that they might run into each other. His old school 'friend'. The rich kid. A nice guy, he had to admit, but still spoiled and lazy like the rest of them. 

"Wes," he said. "Long time no see." He removed his sunglasses when the blond man still showed no sign of recognition. 

"Eric!" Surprise, and maybe a hint of dismay flickered over his face, quickly replaced by a smile. Wes took a step closer and held out his hand. "What are you doing here?" 

Eric swung his hands behind his back, somehow not wanting to accept the gesture of friendship. "I'm with the Silver Guardians. Working for your father." 

Wes looked surprised again. "My father?" he asked. 

"Yeah. Didn't you know about us?" 

"Well, no. I don't work at Bio-Lab any more." 

And apparently didn't talk to his father. Eric filed that bit of information away. "Who was that guy?" he asked. "That new Ranger?" 

Just a split-second of hesitation, before Wes answered. "Beats me. Never seen him before." 

"Strange. Seemed like he knows you. And your friends. So did that girl..." Eric took another look at the people with him; two Asian men, one tall and handsome, one with improbable green hair; a tall, attractive Black woman, and a pretty brunette, standing next to Wes, staring with cold and hostile eyes. 

"No. We were just walking by." Wes shrugged and grinned as he stepped back, but his eyes were wary. "Got nothing to do with this." 

"Come on, let's move it!" Porter's shout ended the discussion. Eric glanced at the SUV's to see the others waiting for him. He slid the sunglasses back on his face. "Well, I've got work to do. See ya around," he said, and left them, running to take his place. But he watched them as the cars pulled out, still standing there, still staring. 

* * *

"Who the hell was that?" Wes burst out as soon as they were safely back upstairs in the clock tower. "That new Ranger?" 

"_That_ was the Quantum Ranger," Trip said, walking by him to drop into a chair. 

"Quantum Ranger?" 

"Yes," Jen said as she sat on the couch, her face thoughtful. "Someone must have come back, with the Quantum morpher. Or they sent it, and someone from this time found it…" 

"Whoever it was definitely recognized us," Lucas commented. "It must be someone from our time." 

"Quantum morpher?" Wes asked again when the others fell into silence. 

As usual when explanations were needed, Trip answered him. "The Quantum morpher was still being developed when we left. It's more advanced and more powerful than the ones we use. The chronomorphers." 

"And now someone's here, using it. Someone from our time." Katie said, a smile breaking over her face. "That means…" 

"Yeah… Time Force managed to send us help." Lucas looked around at his teammates. "Maybe now we can finally get Ransik. And go home." 

They all grinned at each other. Wes watched, trying to look happy, but his eyes rested on Jen's face, and his mind couldn't escape the selfish thought of her leaving, so soon, the fact that he would never see her again. His heart sank, even as his face smiled. 

"But who is he?" Jen asked, her expression becoming more serious. "He almost gave us away, almost came right up to us." 

"No reason he should know we're keeping our identities a secret," Katie protested. 

"He should have guessed it was likely. And then why did he leave?" 

"Don't know." Katie smiled. "Maybe he's got equipment for us! A working communicator! A timeship!" Her expression sobered. "But why doesn't he contact us?" 

"I assume he just got here. He'll be trying to find us," Lucas said. 

"The Quantum morpher can locate the chronomorphers," Trip said. "He should have no problem finding us. And he could use the morpher's communicator function." 

"Why is his suit red, like mine?" Wes asked. 

Trip promptly went back into lecture mode. "The Quantum morpher is a prototype. The first of a new line of morphers. As soon as it was perfected, they were going to make a set of five, just like us, Quantum Red, Blue, Pink, and so on." 

"Then are there five of them out there somewhere?" 

"No. When we left they were still working on red. And there hasn't been time to make more." 

Jen still looked doubtful. "I want to know who he is. Where is he now? And he's not the only complication we've got. Wes…" She looked up. "What do you know about those Silver Guardians?" 

"Nothing. Just what you heard, that they work for my father." Wes turned away, his mood darkening, not wanted them to see his face. "You heard the commander. They were hired to protect that store. Figures. They're Dad's latest way of making money off the trouble Ransik's causing." 

He felt his hands ball into fists and shoved them into his pockets, suddenly angry, not sure if it was because of his father's obsession with money or because they were so out of touch that he hadn't even known about it. First that little confrontation when they were collecting garbage… and now this… 

"But they're helping to protect the city," Trip was saying. "That's a good thing, right?" 

"He doesn't care about the city!" Wes retorted. "All he cares about is money. His company." 

"Still, we could use the help." 

"I don't know." Wes shook his head stubbornly. "They don't know what they're getting into. We're the only ones who have a real chance against Ransik and his mutants. Someone's going to get hurt if my father keeps this up." 

"They seemed to do okay with those blasters," Lucas said. 

"But they shouldn't have blasters," Jen protested. "They must have gotten hold of the blasters from the cyclobots we've destroyed in the past... copied them. They shouldn't have that technology. History's changing right in front of us, and we can't stop it." 

After a brief silence, Lucas spoke again. "And what about that guy who came up to you? What did you say his name was?" 

"Eric. Eric Myers. We went to school together." 

"He didn't exactly act like an old friend." 

"We weren't exactly friends. He always had an attitude. Like he had to prove he was as good as the rest of us. Maybe better." 

Wes looked away again. Seeing Eric had brought back memories, some good, some not. School, his friends… He had been popular, the other kids had looked up to him. Mostly because of his father's money, of course. Eric, on the other hand, had been disliked and ignored, because of his lower-class background, his lack of money, and also his standoffish attitude and his temper. Wes had been about the only one who tried to befriend him. It had worked at first. But soon Eric had started to resent him, probably for the differences between them, for everything Wes had and Eric didn't. Their relationship had turned into rivalry, mostly over the martial arts they both had been so good at. Then it had become hostility... at least on Eric's part. And now, here he was. Still resentful, apparently. 

"I didn't like the questions he was asking," Jen said. "He noticed the Quantum Ranger starting to come up to us. He's suspicious. It could mean trouble." 

"He can't prove anything," Wes said. "And we may never see him again." And yet -- Wes couldn't decide whether that was what he wanted. He had liked Eric in school, at least at first. Had felt sorry for him, and admired his drive and determination. His hostility had hurt, and Wes had tried to change it up until the time Eric had dropped out. Now… if they did come into contact, maybe he'd have the chance to try again. 

* * *

"Who _was_ that, Daddy?" Nadira felt almost frightened as Ransik stared at her, his face reddened with anger, his eyes narrowing. Next to him, Brickneck looked serious for once, and Conwing's face was blank and cold. "What's... What's wrong?" she asked in a small voice. As soon as she had returned to the prison ship and started to tell her father what had happened, he had called another meeting and made her repeat her story to the others. 

Ransik glared, but spoke in a calm enough voice. "A red and black suit?" 

"Yes..." 

"Jagged edges between the colors? A holster and blaster?" 

"Yes, Daddy. You know who it was, don't you?" 

"Yes, I know," he growled. "The Quantum Ranger. A new morpher Time Force research was working on when we left. They must have sent another officer with it. It's more powerful than the other morphers, and comes with more weaponry." 

Nadira knew what that meant. "You mean we're in trouble, don't you?" 

"Yes," Conwing said softly. "Was he alone?" 

"I didn't see anyone else." 

"Hopefully he's all they sent. The timestream is unstable, they wouldn't have wanted to risk more lives. But we should investigate, see if they've sent more ships or weapons with him." 

"I think they already have," Ransik said. "I scanned the timestream when Nadira told me about the Ranger, and detected a transfer. A large object, mechanical, no life signs." 

"You think it's the Q-Rex?" 

"Yes. Luckily for us, it landed off-target by over sixty million years." Ransik's voice was thoughtful now. "We still have the timehole generator we used to get here..." He paused. "These Silver Guardians. A special security force working for Bio-Lab. They must be what we've been waiting for. This new Ranger showed up to help them. That confirms it." He exchanged a glance with Conwing. "And that means we know who our next target is. Eliminate their leader, and we may eliminate Time Force." 

"It may not be easy, with six Rangers to deal with." 

"We need to attack in force. Divide their attention. Hit hard and fast... and I know just how to do it." 

* * *

Eric was still thinking about it at the end of the day, as he returned to the house he had moved into so recently. Wes. His old schoolmate. His friend, once. But that hadn't lasted long. Couldn't expect someone like that, rich and upper-class, to see him as an equal. Had to admit, Wes had tried... but not for long. And it had ended in rivalry, envy, dislike... Not that he could blame Wes, exactly, Eric admitted to himself, the hostility had been mostly on his side. 

But now -- Wes knew something about the new Ranger, maybe the others too. He was involved, somehow. And Eric was going to find out exactly what was going on. Find out, and use that knowledge. He smiled to himself. Knowledge was power, after all. 

* * *

In his ship, Alex stared at the monitor tucked under the main control panel. It was all there. The instruments had recorded it automatically, as he took off, opened the timehole, and escaped. An electronic record of horror. 

All there... the shiver of change that had flowed through the fabric of reality, leaving a dead and blasted landscape. Instrument readings. No lifeforms in range, in what had been one of the busiest cities on Earth, unless you counted the deadly bacteria and viruses. High radiation levels, readings of poisonous chemicals. 

Had anyone survived? Impossible to tell. Perhaps a few, in remote places. It hardly mattered, they wouldn't survive long. War... that was there, too, in a few historical records he had picked up from the new reality. Devastating war between humans and mutants. Without Time Force to control the technology that had created the most dangerous mutants, and to combat those who became criminals, mutants had become powerful enough to challenge humankind for dominance -- with the inevitable result. A struggle to the death, with both sides ultimately losing. 

No. He couldn't allow it to happen. Had to change it. No matter what it took. He had come here to save Jen, and the others. But now -- much more was at stake. Guilt squeezed his heart as he wondered if _he_ was to blame, at least partially, if his coming back had somehow caused the shift in history. But it was done, he was here, and there was no going back. And now he had to fix it, somehow. Make sure they won the fight with Ransik, no matter what. Jen's life, his own, nothing was more important. 

But... he leaned back, closing his eyes, allowing himself a moment to feel his own exhaustion. Tomorrow, he'd find his teammates, contact them. But he couldn't face telling them about this, or about their own futures. No need to burden them, especially Jen. She had enough to deal with. And no one should know when they're going to die... No, he'd keep it to himself, no matter how much he needed her understanding and support; this was something he couldn't tell her. 

* * *

TBC... 


	4. Doppelganger

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Doppelganger

* * *

The next morning found Alex standing on the sidewalk of a busy city street, staring up at a tall and beautiful old building. He almost smiled. A clock tower. That, and the name on the only door in sight. 'Nick of Time Odd Jobs'. Coincidence? Or had they done it on purpose? 

The Quantum morpher had brought him here, when he had asked for the location of the other morphers. He hesitated, nervous, wondering what to do, what he might find inside, uncomfortable at the way passers-by were staring at his white Time Force uniform. But he didn't want to go in until he knew the situation. Precisely, he wanted to know who that man was who had been with them. The man who looked so much like him. The man who had exchanged a look with Jen in such a familiar way, and touched her arm, as if to reassure her. 

And -- he was probably the red Ranger they had found evidence of in the altered history files. They must have found some way to get around the DNA lock. Unless there was something strange going on. And that was why he was lurking here, across the street, watching and waiting for them to appear, instead of marching inside and finding Jen. He had to know more, wanted to watch them for a little while first. 

And perhaps he simply needed the extra time to figure out what to say to them. Or maybe he dreaded that meeting on some deep level, the idea of facing Jen, not being able to tell her the truth, that her home, her world, was gone, and their lives might be the price of restoring it. 

When the distraction came, he welcomed it. The shop door opened, Alex straightened and stepped into the shadows of a doorway as all five filed out, stood for moment talking, and then headed down the street. He waited until they were a safe distance away, and started after them. 

* * *

"Oh, boy. All that Time Force training, and I end up mopping floors and picking up trash." 

"Hey, it's a living." Wes smiled at Lucas's disgusted expression. He wasn't any more enthusiastic than his teammate about this job, cleaning an empty office suite, but it earned them money. And strangely enough, it was fulfilling in a way that his job at Bio-Lab hadn't been. These jobs they did might be small and menial, but they made a real contribution to someone's life, no matter how minor. 

_"Rangers!"_ They all started and raised their morphers at the summons in Circuit's metallic voice. _"I'm picking up reports of a disturbance downtown. It's near your location."_

"Come on!" They followed Jen, running down the stairs and out to the sidewalk, where Wes automatically glanced at her, waiting for her to take the lead. She paused for a moment to listen. There were sirens, wailing through the streets. The sounds of gunfire and blasters. It had only been yesterday that Nadira had caused trouble, and this seemed much more serious. 

"Sounds like it's only a few blocks away," Trip said. 

"Let's go." But Jen stopped after a few running steps as they heard engines, and saw a familiar line of black SUV's speed by them. "The Silver Guardians again!" she said. 

"Oh, my God..." Katie gasped as they ran around a corner. 

"In here." Jen grabbed Wes's arm, pulling him and the others into an alley, out of view of the people running away from the battle they had glimpsed, not that any of them looked like they'd notice, or care, about five people morphing into multi-colored fighting suits. 

In another moment they were running again, Wes's eyes finding the tall, golden form of Frax, Ransik's robot follower, using the blasters built into his mechanical arms. He was at the head of a group of cyclobots, and seemed simply to be trying to cause as much destruction as possible, blasting at cars, buildings, and people indiscriminately. 

Silver Hills was fighting back; several police cars were haphazardly parked in the street, a couple of them damaged, with clumps of police behind them, firing at the robots. Several of the officers appeared to be damaged as well. The Rangers ran up past black SUV's at the side of the road, the Silver Guardians were still piling out, trying to dodge blaster fire and get behind shelter. For a moment, Wes thought he saw his father's limousine behind the other cars. 

Jen already had her blaster in hand. Wes summoned his and followed her. The five of them worked their way closer, dashing from one bit of cover to another, firing when they could. Frax had taken cover behind the remains of a car, and was also shielded by the cyclobots surrounding him. The police were staying where they were, trying to protect several wounded officers. The Silver Guardians were behind their own cars, starting to add their blaster fire to the general barrage. 

And then, Wes looked up, recognizing the small aircraft that swooped overhead in a repeat of yesterday, the Quantum Ranger appearing on one wing and leaping off as the flyer dipped low over the street and then headed up again. He landed in the midst of the robots, almost on top of Frax, and attacked instantly. They saw the big golden robot knocked back and off his feet, and saw the cyclobots close in. 

"Come on!" Jen yelled. They were all already in motion, taking advantage of the distraction to cross the remaining space and pile into the fight. The police stopped shooting, the Guardians broke cover and came closer, picking off the robots when they could get a clear shot. 

Everything turned into a whirlwind of struggling bodies, some in Ranger suits, others made of gleaming metal. Wes dodged a blaster shot, ducked a flying robot arm, pivoted and side-kicked, sending a cyclobot flying into two others. Jen grunted as she spun and drove a boot into a metal midsection. Lucas, Trip, and Katie had almost disappeared in the crowd of combatants. 

A glance showed him the Quantum Ranger concentrating on Frax, catching him in the face with a kick as he started to get up. Frax kicked back, clumsily, and climbed to his feet as a mass of cyclobots swarmed the Ranger, who fought back viciously, clearing a space around himself quickly. When he faced the golden robot again, he had a large blaster in his hand. 

"You win the battle, Quantum Ranger!" Frax cried. "But not the war!" He triggered his transporter device and vanished abruptly in a glitter of light, all of the cyclobots which were still functioning disappearing with him. 

The robots Wes had been struggling with were abruptly gone. He looked around to see wreckage everywhere, cars, damaged buildings, the police tending to their wounded. The Silver Guardians moved in, finishing off a few cyclobots that were still moving, their commander giving the Rangers a glance and a nod. Wes noticed Eric among them, staring at him without recognition, suspicion on his face until he turned away. Another familiar face caught his eye, his father, out of the limo now and talking to the Guardians' commander. As Wes watched, he gave them a curious look, then went back to his car, which pulled out a moment later. 

Jen was approaching the Quantum Ranger, who stood quietly, watching her. "We need to talk," she said softly. He didn't answer. "Not here," she went on. 

The strange Ranger nodded silently and started walking, leading them away from the battle site and down the street, into the same alley where they had morphed only a few minutes ago. Behind a set of garbage dumpsters, out of sight from the street, he turned to face them, his hands clenching. 

He raised his morpher and said quietly, "Power down." A glimmer of light swept around him, removing his red and black suit, leaving him in the same white jumpsuit uniform Jen and the others had been wearing when Wes first saw them. They all stood, unmoving, staring. 

"Alex…" Wes heard Katie murmur. She raised her morpher and transformed back to her normal self. Lucas and Trip did the same. After a moment's stunned hesitation, so did Wes, seeing the other man's eyes move to his face, almost like looking in a distorted mirror, because he was looking at the image of himself, dark hair being the only difference. _They say everyone has a double -- a doppelganger,_ he thought. He had known Alex looked like him -- but it was still startling and disturbing on some deep and basic level to see his face on someone else. 

Jen was last to demorph, raising her arm with a jerky motion, then saying, "Alex!" with what sounded like a sob. She moved then, running forward as he stepped to meet her, throwing her arms around him and clutching him tightly as Wes watched, jealousy stabbing through him like a knife, until he finally looked away. 

"Alex? Alex, are you all right?" Jen was touching him now, as if reassuring herself he was really there. "What happened? How did you... Oh, Alex, I thought you were gone forever..." 

"It's okay, Jen. I'll explain everything." 

The others had recovered enough now to go to them, smiling, grinning, hands patting Alex. Only Wes hung back, uncomfortable as he watched a reunion which didn't include him. He and his double exchanged a look, one which wasn't quite hostile, but not friendly either. 

"Who is this?" Alex asked, gently but firmly moving Jen away. 

Jen turned to glance at him, then back to Alex. "This is Wes. Wes Collins. Wes, this is Alex Drake. I -- I told you about him." 

"Yeah. Hello. Heard a lot about you." Wes moved forward now, and held out his hand, an almost sincere smile on his face. 

Alex shook his hand briefly. "Wes Collins. You're the one who's using the red morpher, aren't you?" 

"Yes," Jen cut in. "We gave the morpher to Wes. Trip was able to reprogram it to accept him since he has similar DNA to yours, you must be related..." 

"You gave a morpher to a civilian? A native of this time?" There was an edge of disapproval in his voice. 

"We had no choice." Jen stepped between them. "We needed him to use the red morpher, to activate all of them." 

Alex nodded, although it looked reluctant. "All right. But after your morphers were activated, why did you let him keep it?" 

"Because five Rangers are better than four," Lucas answered, his eyes steady and cool. "We lost most of our equipment when our ship crashed. We need all the help we can get." 

"Your ship crashed?" 

"Yes. Just about everything was destroyed except the morphers, Trip's computer, our vectorcycles and flyers, and our medical unit." 

"I don't know what we would have done if Wes hadn't helped us find a place to live and a way to earn money," Trip put in eagerly. 

"But to involve someone from this time -- it could cause problems..." 

Wes spoke up, letting only a trace of his irritation show. "What Ransik is doing affects my time. My city, my neighbors. If he isn't stopped, that'll cause a lot more problems." 

Alex considered him coldly. "How much have you told him?" he asked Jen. 

"Everything." Her chin came up. "It's only fair, considering what he's doing to help us. The risks he's taking." 

"Perhaps. And I suppose what's done is done." 

"Good." Wes watched as Jen smiled at her fiancé, seeing her eyes bright with tears, and wanted to look away again. "Alex, you haven't told us what happened... I thought..." 

"You thought I was dead. It was almost true..." 

The others crowded around him again, the questions starting. Wes began to turn away, wondering if it would look childish if he simply left... if any of them would even notice... His eyes raised as he saw motion in the sky. A strange, twisting thing, hanging in the air in the distance, like an unnatural violet and black whirlwind. 

"What's that?" he exclaimed, startled. 

"A timehole?" Trip's voice said behind him. Wes looked back to see all of them staring up. Trip took a few steps closer and spoke again. "It must be Ransik! He still has the timehole generator he used to get here! But where's he going now?" 

"Look!" Alex said, as they saw a small flyer rise towards the timehole and dart through it. "It's the Q-Rex. Must be. Time Force sent it after me, but it landed in the wrong time. Ransik must have detected it, and now he's trying to reach it." 

"The Q-Rex? We can't let him get it!" Jen exclaimed. 

"Right. I'm going after them." Alex raised his arm again, and called, "Quantum Power!" A burst of light enveloped him, leaving him morphed. He called again, saying, "TF Eagle!" this time. The small flyer they had seen him in before appeared as if by magic and lowered itself over them. 

"What are you doing?" Jen grabbed his arm as he seemed about to jump upwards. 

"Going through that timehole." 

"Not without me, you're not." 

"Jen..." 

"I'm going, Alex." 

"There's no room in the Eagle for both of us." 

"We'll take your timeship. That way we'll know we have a way back." 

Alex hesitated. Looked upwards. Following his gaze, Wes saw the timehole shrinking, starting to disappear. "Looks like I don't have a choice," Alex said, his tone not entirely displeased. "All right. Jump on, and get a good grip." 

She took only a second to tap her morpher and transform back into the pink Ranger. They both leaped up and landed on the Eagle's wing, Alex quickly sliding into the small cockpit, Jen crouching and finding a handhold. "Jen!" Wes shouted as they lifted up into the sky. But they didn't hear. 

* * *

The two of them swept down to a landing on the beach, Jen still clinging to her perch on the Eagle's wing. Absently, she noted that it was very close to the spot where she and her team had crashed. She leaped to the sand, where Alex joined her a moment later, and watched as he raised his arm, gave a command, and the small flyer disappeared. 

"A flyer in your morpher. Convenient," she murmured. 

"Very. Let's go." They both demorphed, and headed for the ship. As he opened the door, she reached to touch his arm. 

"We still need to talk, Alex." 

"I know." He held her eyes for a moment, seemed to want to say more. But then his mouth thinned, his face hardened, and he turned away. "We will. Later. We have to get to the Q-Rex first. There's no time for anything else." 

"All right." She followed him in, watching his straight, stiff back, wondering... exactly what had happened? Something was different. He had almost died... but it seemed to be more than that... a sudden shiver ran through her as the conviction hit that something was terribly wrong. 

She caught at his arm again. "Alex, what is it? Something's wrong, something's happened, I can tell!" 

He faced her, and again there seemed to be a flicker of pain in his face, perhaps, or vulnerability. But it was gone before she was sure she had seen it. "We have to go," he repeated. 

"But..." 

"Now, Lieutenant." With a look that seemed almost angry, he turned and took his seat at the controls. 

"Yes, sir." She sat in the co-pilot's seat, fighting her sense of unease, trying to focus her mind on the mission ahead. Alex was right, after all. They had to get to the Q-Rex first. But -- it was foolish, silly, unprofessional, she knew. But she couldn't help it. Couldn't help thinking that he hadn't even kissed her. 

* * *

TBC... 


	5. Win and Lose

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Win and Lose

* * *

"I didn't think it was this far back. Talk about off-target..." Jen stared out the viewport as Alex's ship circled above a thick carpet of trees, looking for a clear place to land. There was no sign of civilization. Even more startling, she could see animals in the distance, big ones, huge bodies, long necks, tiny heads reaching to the treetops... 

"Missed by sixty-five million years. The timestream is very disturbed." Alex was smiling slightly at her when she glanced at him. 

"You're lucky you got through in one piece." 

"Yes." He had returned his attention to piloting, frowning slightly with concentration now. "And it's lucky most of the disturbance only exists between 2001 and our time." 

"So Ransik succeeded in doing something in 2001 to change history." 

"It could be something he's done, or something he's going to do. Either way, we have to fix it." He touched the controls, sending them slanting down toward the ground. 

"What's changed? Have there been any effects yet?" 

His face tightened, but he didn't look at her. "No. Nothing definite yet." 

Jen looked at the viewport again to see a clearing in the trees, big enough to land in. She waited as the ship circled it, centered itself, and lowered to a landing. They both stood up. "Alex..." 

"Let's get going," he interrupted. "I've located the Q-Rex with my morpher, but we'll have to do some walking to get to it, and Ransik or whoever he sent is here too, remember. We can talk on the way." 

"Right." She sighed faintly. "Duty first." 

* * *

"I can't believe she went with him..." Wes stared up as the second timehole faded from the sky, after what must have been Alex's ship flew into it. His fists clenched in frustration, anger, concern, maybe most of all jealousy. 

"It makes sense," Lucas said. "Never a good idea for someone to go after one of Ransik's mutants alone. He needed backup." 

"But..." Wes swallowed his words. It was dangerous, but Jen was a trained Time Force officer, and a Ranger. He wished it had been Lucas, or any of the others, not her. But only for his own selfish reasons. 

"He's her fiancé," Katie said gently. "She wanted to be with him." 

"I guess." He couldn't help sounding sulky. "Well -- let's get the hell out of here." 

They had reached the entrance of the alleyway when the sound of a fresh burst of blaster fire greeted their ears. Looking in the direction of the fight they had just come from, they saw the Guardians, clustered around their cars, scrambling to pull out their equipment again, as a new wave of cyclobots swarmed towards them. 

"Come on!" Lucas waved them back out of sight, just long enough to morph. Then they were running, seeing the new battle as the Guardians fought back, some with blasters, some hand-to-hand. 

The second attack must have taken the uniformed troops completely by surprise, giving them no chance to organize and find cover. They scattered into clumps of men, struggling with the robots, many of them already down. As the Rangers ran up, Wes saw the commander in his red beret, shouting as he collected most of his troops into a ragged line among the cars, standing shoulder to shoulder with them as they drove back a wave of cyclobots with a coordinated burst of fire. 

"Look!" Katie exclaimed. A tall form was walking behind the robots, drawing closer, a larger blaster in his hands. White skin, bald head, gray body armor, a powerful build. "Conwing!" she hissed. 

"Watch out, he's a tough one," Lucas said calmly, as they plunged into the fight. For the next moments, Wes had no time to think, as he concentrated on battle, the rhythm of blocking kicks and punches, ducking, dodging, slipping past defenses to strike, leaving one cyclobot after another lying useless on the ground. He was aware of Lucas, Katie, and Trip engaged with their own opponents, the sounds of crashing metal bodies, blaster shots, human voices crying out in pain or effort or anger or fear... 

Then he was watching Conwing as he strode through the mass of combatants, eyes fixed on one spot in particular, the main group of Guardians, their commander's red beret standing out in their midst. Wes started to head him off, but a trio of cyclobots charged him. 

A quick side-kick knocked one of them into another, but the third grabbed him from behind. Wes kicked back, felt the metal arms around him loosen for a moment, and drove an elbow into the robot's neck. As it fell, the other two were on him, trying to grab his arms. He ducked, punched one in the midsection, kicked the other's feet from under it. A yank, a lift and flip, and they were in a tangled heap. 

But Conwing had reached the Guardians. Wes ran forward, seeing the scene that would forever be imprinted on his memory, the Guardian commander looking up, fear starting to shine in his eyes, bringing his weapon around as Conwing aimed directly at him with an almost leisurely motion. Even as the trigger began to move, Wes leaped and summoned his own blaster, landing between them, seeing the flash of the blast reach for him as he fired back. 

It hit, hard, sending a burst of light and energy rolling around him. As it faded, Wes found himself on his back, gasping for breath, realizing the two blasts had struck each other and exploded, flattening all the Guardians around him. He was surrounded by groaning, half-conscious men. The commander was behind him, on his hands and knees, reaching for his blaster. 

Conwing had been affected, too, he had fallen back a few steps and fallen to one knee. But he wasn't even close to out. The tall mutant rose to his feet, snarling, raised the blaster again and fired before Wes could move. There was a scream of agony behind him, a quick glance showing the commander slumping to the ground. 

"No!" Wes cried, looking for his own weapon, which seemed to have disappeared, as Conwing smiled, turned, and started away. 

Before Wes could get up, a man came flying from the side, grabbing Conwing's arm and wrestling with him for the blaster. They both staggered, struggling, for several steps. The mutant was strong, he shook off his human attacker without much effort and began to aim at him. As the man came at him again, leaping into a spin kick that deflected the blaster, Wes recognized Eric, his cap and sunglasses gone. As Wes pushed himself to his feet, Eric shot another kick at the mutant's knee, pivoted and drove a boot into his stomach. But the blows had little effect; Conwing only growled in anger and swung a fist in an inhumanly fast backhand, catching Eric and knocking him to the ground on his face. And now the blaster was aimed again, right at Eric's head as he rolled over and stared up, helpless. 

"You're outmatched, human," Conwing said with a cold smile. "You can join your commander in death." 

"Eric!" Wes was up again, leaping over the distance between them, pushing the blaster aside, the shot going wild, side-kicking Conwing and knocking him back. But this time the mutant didn't waste time on words, he fired as Wes started for him, the blast hitting in a burst of painful energy. 

Wes didn't even feel himself fall, only felt a tingling, shocking sensation running through him. He blinked, dazed, only gradually realizing he was demorphed, defenseless now, raising his head, rolling up to one elbow, looking around to find himself staring into Eric's face, seeing his eyes wide with shock. 

A soft chuckle made them both look up to see Conwing standing over them, that blaster still in his hand. "I don't know which one to take care of first," the mutant said. 

He had missed his chance. Wes saw a blur of blue, green, and yellow as Lucas, Trip, and Katie seemed to appear from nowhere, tackling Conwing, Lucas wrenching the blaster from his grip. Katie, using her own inhuman strength, amplified by the Ranger suit, pushed him back and then kicked him in the middle, sending him down, doubled up in pain. 

But the mutant still had his transporter device. "No matter, I've done what I came to do!" he snarled, touched his belt and vanished in sparkling light. 

* * *

"What happened, Alex? How did you survive Ransik's attack? How did you get the Quantum morpher? Why are you here?" 

Alex could almost smile at the series of questions. He couldn't blame Jen, she must be so confused... He turned to look at her face, the face he had thought he might never see again. As he felt emotion threaten to overcome him, he looked away. "It's that way," he said, pointing to the side of the hill they were approaching. "We have to hurry. It must be underground somewhere, we have to find an entrance. There's a lot of dangerous animals in this time, too, we should morph at the first sign of trouble." 

"Alex..." There was a warning note in her voice. 

"All right." He began to talk as they started into a clump of trees, the temperature seeming to drop, sounds muffled, except for the crunch of their footsteps and his own voice. 

"I thought I was dying, after Ransik blasted me. Thought we were saying goodbye forever... Guess I wasn't thinking right, or I wouldn't have given you my morpher. Shouldn't have sent you after him." 

"You had no choice." 

"Maybe. Anyway, you know as much as I do about that part. Next thing I remember, I was waking up in a hospital bed. Logan was there. He said I had almost died." He paused before continuing in a lower voice. "That was only a few weeks ago." 

"A few weeks? You were unconscious for two months?" 

"Yes. In a coma. They said I made a remarkable recovery." 

"How could they give you that morpher and let you come here? You need more time..." 

The concern in her voice touched him, although he didn't let it show. "I was the only Time Force officer left who was trained to be a Ranger. The only logical one to use the morpher. They wanted to send it back alone, but... I took it." 

"You _took_ it?" 

"Yes. Took it and locked it to my voice. They had no choice but to let me go." 

She stared, a little smile playing on her lips. "That doesn't sound like you." 

"I had to come, Jen." 

He felt Jen's hand take his, glanced to see her face turned to him as she moved closer, matching his steps. "You came here, through a badly distorted timestream," she said softly. "A big risk." 

"It was a rough trip." He stared back at the ground as they walked, unwilling to share the memory of that flight, the fear he had felt... the vision that haunted him, of his world, and hers, vanishing into a nightmare place; or his knowledge of her own fate, destined to die in a final battle. No need, they would put it all right, they _had_ to... "I detected mutant life signs as soon as I landed. Nadira, robbing that store." 

"That was yesterday. Why didn't you tell us who you were right away?" 

"I..." He hesitated. "Seeing Wes threw me. I was pretty sure someone was using the red morpher, but to see him... It was a shock. I was suspicious." 

"Thought he was a mutant in disguise?" She sounded amused. 

"What would you think? Seeing a double of yourself, taking over your place..." 

"Wes hasn't taken your place." But she sounded uncomfortable now. "We needed him, and he's been great. I don't know what would have happened to us if he hadn't unlocked the morphers, and found us a place to live, and helped us find work." 

"Sounds like you like him." He hoped the unexpected pang of jealousy he felt hadn't shown in his voice. But the thought of Jen spending her days -- and nights -- with a man who looked so much like him... When she thought he was dead, had she looked for comfort? For friendship? Or more? 

Her tone was neutral as she answered, "He's a good Ranger. A good teammate." 

_Is that all?_ But he didn't say it. 

* * *

Eric watched them as he pressed a hand to his face where he had landed on it, taking it away to see blood. He looked up again as Wes climbed stiffly to his feet, the blue and yellow Rangers helping him up, the green Ranger running over, returning from waving some kind of instrument at Commander Porter. 

"Wes, Wes, are you all right?" the yellow Ranger asked. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. Conwing shot that guy... We have to do something..." 

"No use," the green Ranger said. "He was hit hard. Even if we had the medical unit with us..." 

"Nothing more we can do here," the blue Ranger said. "Let's go." 

Wes glanced back, meeting his eyes for a moment as they took off, avoiding the knot of Guardians Eric could see clustered around their fallen commander, and quickly disappeared. They were several yards away from the others, Wes had been blocked from direct view by wrecked cars. As he struggled upright, Eric realized he was the only one who had seen the red Ranger magically change into Wes Collins. He knew something about the Rangers that no one else knew. 

His mind was already busy wondering what kind of advantage that knowledge would give him when the thought was banished by what he saw as he returned to his companions. Commander Porter, lying on the ground, unmoving, eyes open and staring at nothing, two of the troopers working over him, but Eric sensed that CPR would do no good. He leaned against a car, watching, feeling numbed, helpless, the beginnings of anger stirring, anger at the mutant who had ended a good man's life, unreasonable anger at the Rangers, who should have saved him, and a core of anger at himself, for not acting just a little bit faster. 

* * *

"In that cave," Alex said, his voice low. "Morph now." 

"Right behind you." They both raised their morphers, transforming behind the cover of a few large trees. Then they started for the dark mouth of the cave Alex had led them to, moving as silently as they could. A few meters back they had seen a small flyer, the ship the mutant had used to travel here. Ransik, or whoever he had sent, had already found the Q-Rex. They had to be prepared for anything. 

She heard the voice almost as soon as they were inside, as the cool darkness closed over them, the sensors in their helmets compensating so they could still see. A rough, confident, even arrogant voice, one she recognized. 

"Brickneck," she whispered, knowing the helmet communicator would carry her voice to Alex without letting their enemy hear it. 

"Got it. Come on." 

A few more seconds, and they passed through a narrowing of the cave, almost a tunnel, and into a large cavern, the floor studded with stalagmites, the ceiling with stalactites. It might have been beautiful, she didn't have time to notice. The two creatures standing several meters away claimed her attention. 

One was Brickneck, just as she remembered him, tall, thin, his skin brick red and heavily lined. The other -- she had never seen it before, but she knew what it was. The Q-Rex. The Quantasaurus Rex. The Quantum Self-activated Battle Tank, to use its correct name, but she could easily see how it had gotten its nickname. It looked like some bizarre, metallic Tyrannosaurus Rex, a thick central body, powerful legs which she knew could unfold into wings, weapons arrays looking like short, stubby arms, sensors concentrated in a triangular 'head' raised above the body. 

Brickneck hadn't seen them yet. He was pointing something at the Q-Rex, and talking to it. "Just as soon as I get this controller activated..." he muttered. "You'll respond to _my_ voice, instead of the Quantum Ranger's. And then -- we're going on a little trip, back to Silver Hills." 

"You won't get the chance," Alex said, walking into the open and raising his voice. 

The mutant jumped and spun to face them. Jen caught a glimpse of slitted, reptilian green eyes. "Rangers!" he hissed. "But too late!" He held up the device he was holding and shouted into it, "Q-Rex! Get them!" 

The giant, dinosaur-like robot stirred. Jen felt a prickle of fear, and saw Alex pause and then back up as it rose over them, weapons taking deadly aim. 

Alex raised his morpher to his face. "Q-Rex!" he shouted. "Stop!" There was no effect as he tried again, the robot only advanced a step as they fell back. 

"Come on!" Jen cried. "Run!" 

They fled, back through the tunnel, hearing the pounding of giant footsteps behind them as the Q-Rex pursued. Alex turned and drew the Defender, hesitating for a moment before he apparently realized the obvious, that his hand blaster would be useless against the giant combat robot. She stopped long enough to grab his arm, and they ran again, together. 

Brickneck had disappeared, but she saw him as soon as they burst from the cave, leaping into his flyer. It lifted off as they ran towards it, circling before sending a narrow beam lancing upward. 

"Look! He's opening a timehole!" Alex said. They both turned, and retreated as the Q-Rex emerged into the open, looking around them for cover. But it didn't pursue them, instead it began to change. 

Jen watched, fascinated despite the circumstances, as the thick legs became short wings, the head moved down and in front of the body, and the dinosaur became a large and heavily-armed aircraft. It lifted upwards and followed Brickneck's flyer, a moment later vanishing into the purple and black swirl of the timehole. 

Beside her, Alex was raising his arm, shouting into his morpher. "What are you doing?" Jen cried as the TF Eagle appeared above them and lowered into position. 

"Going after them. You get back to the timeship as fast as you can." 

"Alex, wait!" But he was already leaping into the flyer. With a wave, he slid inside. The small ship lifted rapidly, and took off fast in the direction of the timehole. 

* * *

He made it, rocketing out of the timehole, shaken up by temporal turbulence but undamaged. Alex breathed a sigh of relief. But not for long. As he looked around, he saw the Q-Rex and Brickneck's flyer speeding towards the city, already almost out of sight in the distance. 

The Eagle was fast, he caught up and opened fire on Brickneck. The small flyer swerved and dodged. It apparently didn't have any blasters on board. But of course Brickneck had a more effective weapon at his command. The Q-Rex turned and came at Alex, firing a few shots as he dove sharply and tried to circle around it. It was no good, the Q-Rex cut him off. 

Alex retreated, trying to get out of range. Both of his opponents pursued. Brickneck had apparently decided to take his opportunity to get rid of one of the Rangers. But it wasn't all bad, it gave him the opportunity to lead them away from Silver Hills, try to prevent the destruction the mutant intended. He swung around, led them back the way they had come, back over empty beach, then circled over the water. 

"Q-Rex! I order you to break off and land!" he said into his morpher. There was no response. 

_"Voice command is locked out,"_ the morpher's 'voice' said in his head. 

"That's obvious. Override lock." 

_"I cannot comply."_

"How can I restore voice command?" 

After a moment, the morpher replied again. _"The blocking device must be removed in order to restore voice command."_

"Blocking device… Locate it." 

The morpher complied, displaying a targeting crosshair on the nose of the Q-Rex as he looped around it again. All he had to do was get close enough. Not an easy matter when its weapons were much more powerful than his. Grimly, Alex dodged another shot and came around again. 

They circled, firing a few shots, playing a cat-and-mouse game for several minutes as Alex tried to think of a way to get within shooting range without being blasted out of the sky. Just as he was beginning to be afraid Brickneck would get tired of chasing him and head for the city again, help arrived, in the form of another timehole, blossoming in the sky. 

"Jen," he murmured. She must have run all the way back to the timeship. And a moment later, the ship shot out into the sky, too fast, Alex holding his breath as she brought it under control and swept into a turn, coming back at them. 

The Q-Rex turned to face its new attacker as Jen flew at it. Alex took his chance, following it, zooming past from behind, opening the cockpit cover to use the Defender, thankful for his target training as he aimed at the small device fixed to the Q-Rex's nose, and hitting it with the first shot. The device exploded. 

"Q-Rex! I order you to stop! Break off your attack!" Alex waited tensely. 

_"Voice command established,"_ the morpher announced calmly. The Q-Rex slowed to a stop. Alex smiled, but allowed himself only a moment of triumph before he turned to his next target. 

"Q-Rex. Force Brickneck's flyer to land," he said. He watched, flying overhead as the huge battle machine pursued the mutant's small, unarmed flyer. It was no contest, the mutant twisted and turned, but he couldn't outrun the Q-Rex, and had no effective way to attack it. But he wasn't giving up, even as Alex in the Eagle and Jen in the timeship joined the chase. 

_"Alex!"_ Jen's voice came through his morpher communications system. _"He'll never surrender,"_ she said. 

"I know. Gives us no choice." 

_"What are you going to do?"_

"Shoot him down." 

_"Alex..."_ He could hear her hesitate, but she was a good soldier, she knew what they had to do. _"You're right."_

He felt little regret as he raised his morpher again and gave the command. As he watched the Q-Rex fire on the little flyer, crippling it, sending it spiraling down, leaving a trail of smoke. How many humans would Brickneck have willingly killed, after all? How many would Ransik kill, if they didn't stop him quickly? Just the way _he_ had almost died, when he got in Ransik's way... No, he felt no real regret as he swooped down to land near the wreckage. 

* * *

TBC... 


	6. Confrontations

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Confrontations

* * *

They were lined up, the four of them, Wes, Lucas, Trip, and Katie. Alex paced back and forth, glaring. Jen stood behind him, watching them all becoming angrier by the second. She had arrived at the clock tower with Alex to find the others already there. Brushing aside their relieved greetings, Alex had immediately demanded a report. Lucas had just finished telling him about their disastrous fight with Conwing. 

"And you think Commander Porter is dead?" he snapped. 

"He took a direct hit at close range, from that blast rifle Conwing had. Trip's scanner said he was dying." 

Alex took another few steps past them, eyes smoldering with fury. "Conwing killed a man. A man who might be important to history. And you let him." 

"We didn't _let_ him," Lucas retorted. 

"But you didn't stop him." 

"Conwing's tough. And he had all those cyclobots..." Katie said. 

"Of course Conwing's tough! All of them are tough! Is that the excuse you're going to use if Ransik succeeds, and our timeline is wiped out? That they're _tough_?" 

"We did our best!" Lucas said, his eyes narrowing. "We couldn't stop him, and no one regrets it more than we do!" 

"Alex, please," Jen murmured. "They already feel bad enough." 

"I suppose," Alex growled, his face still hard. "There were only four of you, and one is an untrained civilian." Jen saw Wes stiffen in anger, but he said nothing. "That's probably why Ransik sent Brickneck into the past at the same time. To split us up. And it worked." 

Jen faced him resolutely. "It's my fault for insisting on coming with you, Alex. I take full responsibility for my team's actions." 

Alex looked at her bleakly. "No. They're my team now. I'm responsible for this failure. Responsible for everything's that's happened today, and everything we do from now on." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm the senior officer here now, Jen. I'm in charge." 

She stared in surprise, starting to feel the beginnings of anger herself. But this wasn't the time for an argument, not in front of the others. And of course, he was right, at least technically -- but he didn't know the situation the way she did... She swallowed, blanked her face, and said only, "Yes, sir," as she stepped into line with the rest of them. 

Alex walked past again, looking thoughtful this time. "We can't afford this kind of mistake. Ransik's killed the commander of the Guardians... That may have been what he was after all along..." 

"What does Porter have to do with Ransik or Conwing?" Jen asked stiffly. 

"Maybe nothing." Alex glanced at her, and then away. "The Guardians are involved with all this. They're important, but that's all I can tell you. I think we should make every effort to work with them, and to make sure no one else gets killed." 

"Can't argue with that!" Trip said brightly, obviously trying to lighten the mood. 

Lucas cleared his throat, looking acutely uncomfortable. "I'm afraid there's something else." 

"Well?" 

"One of the Guardians saw Wes demorph." 

Another cold and angry glare. Jen cursed inwardly. A serious complication, just at the wrong time. If their identities became public knowledge... 

"Do you think he recognized you?" Alex asked Wes. 

"Definitely. We know each other." 

"Damn. Do you think he'll tell anyone?" 

Wes hesitated. "I don't know." 

"Damn," Alex repeated. "We'll have to talk to him. Try to persuade him to keep his mouth shut. If Ransik knows where to find us, we're in trouble. And we don't want the people of this time watching us too closely. This could ruin everything." He gave Wes another angry glance. 

"It wasn't _my_ fault!" Wes protested. "If the suit hadn't given out, it wouldn't have happened!" 

"The damn suit gave out because you don't know how to use it!" 

"I've been doing okay! We all have, until you showed up!" 

"Alex! Wes! Both of you, stop this! We're supposed to be on the same side!" Jen watched as they glared at each other, those two faces, so identical, yet so profoundly different. With a deep breath, she went on. "We're all upset about what happened, but fighting each other won't help." 

Finally, Alex stepped back. "What's done is done," he said flatly. "I suppose there's no point in arguing about who's to blame, if anyone. But we must do better. We can't let Ransik and his crew kill anyone else. I'm sure we can all agree on that." There were murmurs of assent, even Wes nodding shortly and dropping his eyes to the floor. 

"What happened to you two?" Trip asked. "Did you get the Q-Rex?" 

"Yes." Alex pulled a small cylindrical container from a pocket of his uniform. "And we captured Brickneck..." 

Jen listened, only half paying attention, as they sat down and Alex told their story, ending with how they had found Brickneck badly wounded inside his wrecked flyer, and had stored him in a cryogenic containment unit. When they got him back to their own time, with modern medical treatment he'd probably survive -- not that she could bring herself to care very much -- then she looked up again as Trip asked another question. 

"What's happening at home? Are there any changes in history?" 

Alex stared at him, his face unrevealing. "There were indications of change. Ransik has already affected history. Our reality could -- could be affected..." He paused, that hint of pain crossing his face again. 

"Alex, what is it?" Jen asked. 

His eyes moved to her face. "All I can tell you is that we _must_ defeat Ransik. Reverse the changes he's made in this time, prevent him from doing more. We can't even think about failure. This mission is more important than us. More important than our lives. Nothing -- _nothing_ -- must stop us." 

"What aren't you telling us?" Jen asked, suddenly frightened. 

His eyes held hers for a moment. Then he turned away. "Nothing," he muttered. "There's nothing more I can say that would help." 

There was silence for a few seconds. Trip was the first to break it. "I'll get back to work," he said, getting to his feet. "See if I can improve our scanner range, and get the communicator working." 

"I'll check the historical record again and see if I can find anything useful," Lucas murmured. 

"I'll help you." Katie got up and followed him. 

"I'll find Eric. Get him not to tell anyone about us," Wes said. He headed for the stairs, casting a quick glance back before disappearing. 

Jen stayed where she was, watching as Alex got up and went to the window, then joining him there. They both looked out into fading sunlight, the shadows of late afternoon starting to stretch across the city spread below them. For a few moments she simply looked, seeing his face in profile, the tension that hadn't been there before. The unfamiliar lines of strain. 

"Silver Hills. Silver City, in a hundred more years," he said, almost seeming to be talking to himself. "It's beautiful." 

"Yes, it is." 

"All those people. Living their lives, never suspecting what's really going on." His mouth tightened. "They're all in danger. We have to protect them. Somehow." 

"Alex, are you all right?" she asked softly. 

He turned his head to look at her. "I'm fine. Fully recovered." 

"That's not what I meant." 

"I know." He stared out again. "Yes, I almost died. Yes, it's affected me. Yes, I'm not acting the way I should. The way you expect." 

"I understand." 

"I love you, Jen." The words were very soft. 

"I love you, too. We'll get through this." 

"I hope so." His voice was so sad it almost brought tears to her eyes. 

Jen paused, taking a deep breath as she watched him for a few moments, and then decided to say what was on her mind. "Alex, I think I should stay in command." She hurried on as his eyes turned to look at her again. "We've established a team here. We work together smoothly. Lucas, Trip, and Katie don't know you very well, and Wes… Wes doesn't know you at all." 

"I'm the senior officer here. It's standard procedure." 

"I know. But this isn't a standard situation." 

"Lucas, Trip, and Katie are trained officers. They'll adjust." 

"What about Wes?" 

She saw his eyes flicker and narrow. "What _about_ him? He's a civilian. Shouldn't even be here, in my opinion." 

A spark of anger flared in Jen, surprising her. "_We_ wouldn't be here if not for Wes. He's helped us… he's risking his life to help us do our job! He deserves to be treated just like the rest of us." 

"He's not one of us, Jen. Don't forget that." He went on, his voice lowered. "None of us can afford to get involved with a native of this time…" 

"I'm not _involved_ with him." 

There was a pause, as Alex's eyes locked on her. "Aren't you? You seem very concerned about him." 

"He's my teammate. And I'm grateful for what he's done for us. That's all." She drew herself up. "I know the rules, Alex." 

"I'm sure you do. But sometimes rules are hard to stick to, especially when the situation isn't standard." He paused, seemed to move away from her, just slightly, his face cold. "I'm keeping command. This mission must succeed. We need discipline, especially with an untrained civilian on board. And I'll make sure we have it." 

Angry, frustrated, and disappointed, she gave him a look just as hard as his. "If that's the way you want it. _Sir_." 

* * *

Bio-Lab. Wes glanced around nervously as he stood in the lobby of the building where he had worked until so recently, where he had fully expected to work for the rest of his life. The company everyone had expected him to take over someday. It was largely because of Jen and the others that he had realized how empty that future had really been for him. 

He wondered for a moment what his life might have been like if they had never shown up, or if they had never come to him for help. If Jen hadn't knocked on his father's door, hadn't asked him to put on the red morpher. He hadn't believed her, of course. Who would, that crazy story about mutants and time travel… he had laughed at her at the time, but he had been intrigued enough -- and attracted to her enough -- to follow her, only to find out the hard way that it was all true. 

All because of his resemblance to Alex, the resemblance that meant they were probably related, that Alex might even be his descendant. He glanced down at the morpher on his wrist, mute evidence of the genetic bond between him and that dark-haired stranger with his face. It sent a chill through him. 

But he was wasting time. With a deep breath Wes took another look around before heading back outside, and around the building to the training area in back where the receptionist had told him he would find Eric. It took a little searching, but finally he spotted him. 

Eric was dressed in old and beat-up looking sweats, working out with a body-sized punching bag, pounding it with a series of punches and kicks. His face was harsh, determined, almost angry, as if the bag were a living opponent. Wes stopped to watch with a sense of déjà vu, remembering seeing him doing exactly the same thing in school, many times. Eric had always been like this, determined, focused, bent on being the best at everything he tried. Obsessed with winning. Especially at martial arts; he had been the best in the school, better even than Wes. 

What had happened to the friendship they had shared so briefly, back in school? Wes had liked him and tried to get closer, but somehow it had fallen apart. Looking back, Wes realized it had basically been because of the differences between them, in temperament, in background, in wealth. While Wes had found him all the more interesting because of them, Eric had only found reasons for resentment. By the time Eric had suddenly dropped out of school, their relationship had gone cold. 

And now they had been thrown together again, and Wes already had the feeling things weren't going to be any friendlier this time. He moved a little closer, hesitant to interrupt, waiting for Eric to notice him. 

Minutes passed with Eric pounding the bag even harder, before abruptly turning and taking a few steps closer. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. 

"We need to talk." 

"Yeah. I figured you'd show up sooner or later." Eric pulled off his gloves, picked up a towel and wiped his face, then glanced at Wes again. "Okay. Come on." He led them several yards away, among piles of weaponry and equipment, still in sight of the other men working out and practicing, but out of earshot. Then he turned, arms crossed, and stared at Wes stonily. 

Ignoring his conviction that the conversation was already going wrong, Wes plunged in. "You know I'm the red Ranger." Seeing no reaction, he went on. "Eric, we need you to keep quiet about it. If Ransik finds out who we are, we could be in danger." 

"That mutant we were fighting saw your face. Seems to me the secret's out." 

"Ransik and his mutants know what we look like, but they don't know who we are. Where we live. If they find out, they could attack us at home, or catch us unmorphed." 

"They're bound to find out eventually." 

"Maybe. Hopefully we'll capture them first." 

"The other Rangers are those people I saw you with, aren't they?" 

Wes hesitated, but there seemed to be no point in denying it. "Yeah." 

"Who are they? Where did they come from? Where did those mutants come from?" 

Wes frowned. "Does it matter? They're here. The mutants are a danger to everyone in Silver Hills. My friends and I are trying to stop them. We're on the same side, Eric. Don't let us down." 

Eric's eyes narrowed. "So you're the good guys and I'm supposed to just trust you. A bunch of strangers who showed up out of nowhere with all kinds of advanced weaponry, and who have some kind of connection to those mutants. I don't think so." 

"They're my friends, and you know _me_." 

"Do I? You're a rich kid I knew in school, ten years ago. How the hell do I know I can trust you now?" 

"You know we've been fighting Ransik for months!" Wes glared, beginning to be angry. "The only reason you saw me demorph was because I saved your life!" 

"But you didn't save Commander Porter. Some big heroes _you_ are!" 

Wes bit back both resentment and guilt. "I know. There was nothing we could do. I tried. You saw that." 

Eric's face was still cold. "What does your father say about it?" he asked. 

"My dad doesn't know." Wes stopped, realizing he had made a mistake as a sudden gleam of interest showed in Eric's eyes. "My father doesn't know," he repeated. "If he did, he might try to stop me, or -- I don't know what he'd do. Look, you owe me for saving your life. So don't tell anyone." 

"I don't take orders from you." 

"All right, fine. I'm asking. Please. Don't tell." 

Eric gave him a last long stare, his face revealing nothing. Finally his mouth curved in what was more a sneer than a smile, and he turned back towards the exercise area. 

"Eric? What are you going to do?" Wes called. 

He turned only halfway, his dark eyes flickering coldly, his lip curling again. "You'll find out." 

* * *

TBC... 


	7. Divisions

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Divisions

* * *

It was a good day for a funeral. Depressing, overcast, a chilly drizzle falling. There had been little talk among the Guardians since it happened, only an atmosphere of both gloom and anger as they mourned, each in his or her own way. On this day they were preparing to say a last goodbye to a man none of them had known well, but all had respected. 

On this morning, Eric knew he should be thinking only of his former commander as he walked through the corridors of Bio-Lab. Should be showing the proper respect, feeling sorry for the widow and children, maybe thinking of justice for his murderer. But Porter was gone. And Eric's thoughts had already turned towards the future. Yes, he wanted justice. Revenge. But he also saw an opportunity. The kind that wouldn't wait very long. 

So he ignored his nerves and quieted his second thoughts as he reached a large reception desk and nodded curtly to the woman who smiled up at him. "Eric Myers, to see Mr. Collins," he announced. "I have an appointment." 

"Go right in." 

He had been in this office only once before, when Collins interviewed him shortly after he was hired. It had struck him as large, bare, and dark then, and the impression remained. He crossed the room to stand in front of a large desk, automatically assuming an at-ease position, waiting for the man sitting on the other side with his head bent over a pile of papers to acknowledge his presence. 

Collins looked up, giving him a sharp and appraising glance before saying, "Mr. Myers. You asked to see me?" 

"Yes sir." Eric paused only for a moment. "With Commander Porter gone, you'll need a replacement, sir. I want to be considered for the position." 

Collins sat back, staring at him, his face unreadable. "We haven't even had the funeral yet. You don't waste any time," he said finally. 

"I can't afford to waste time, sir." 

Had there been a flicker of amusement and perhaps approval across the older man's face? "Why should I promote you over the others?" Collins asked. 

"I served ten years in the military, more than anyone else here. You can see my record for yourself. I'm an expert martial artist, and marksman." 

"Neither of which have anything to do with command," Collins murmured. 

"My time in the service included some command experience. And there's no one in the Guardians more loyal or dedicated than I am." 

"But I don't know you. You've only been working for me for a few months." 

"Since you started the Guardians. Since the beginning." 

"Perhaps." Another appraising look. 

With some misgivings, Eric decided to play his trump card. "Sir, I knew your son, Wes, in school." 

"Did you?" Collins' eyes became cold. "If that's supposed to get on my good side, it won't work. I'm not particularly interested in my son, or in showing favor to a friend of his." 

"And I'm not his friend." Eric allowed himself to meet his employer's gaze, knowing his own eyes were just as cold and hard. "But I know something about him that I think I should tell you." 

"What is it?" Collins tried to hide it, but his face had shown a definite flash of curiosity and interest. 

"He's a Ranger, sir." Eric watched closely, but saw only disbelief. 

"A Ranger. My son?" Collins snorted faintly. "Wesley never stuck with anything that took any real effort in his life, and you're telling me he's a Ranger?" 

"He stuck with this, sir. He's the red Ranger." Quickly, Eric told his story, how he had seen Wes demorphed during the fight with Conwing that had cost Porter his life. "I've been asking around, discreetly. Wes quit his job at Bio-Lab and moved out of your house soon after the Rangers appeared. Now he's living with four other people. Two men and two women, people no one ever seems to have seen before. There are five Rangers, three men and two women. If you don't believe me, at least think about it, sir." 

"But how's it possible? Where did they get weaponry like that? Where did the other four come from?" 

"I don't know, sir." 

Collins stared at him, eyes narrowing. "I'm still not sure I believe it, but... I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this quiet." 

"Certainly, sir. I realize it might put them in danger if the wrong people found out. But you're his father, I thought you'd want to know." 

Eric endured another long examination before Collins spoke again. "For now, I want the Guardians under the command of someone I know and trust. Steve Miller has been with Bio-Lab for years, I'm putting him in charge temporarily. But I'll take your request under consideration. That will be all." 

"Yes, sir." Eric straightened to attention, saluted, and turned to go. 

Collins' voice stopped him on the way out. "If your information checks out... and if you can find out more about the other four... we'll see." 

He turned long enough to salute again. Then he was through the door, not letting himself relax until he was out of sight of the receptionist. For a moment Eric stopped, took a deep breath, calmed his mind. It hadn't gone as well as he had hoped... his fists clenched. As far as Collins was concerned, he was nobody and nothing. But that wouldn't last for long. Soon everyone at Bio-Lab would know exactly who Eric Myers was. 

* * *

It was quiet in the clock tower. Wes stood at one of the tall, stone-framed windows, staring out over Silver Hills. A dark and gloomy day... It matched the way he felt. He glanced behind him, seeing the others scattered around the large interior of the tower, not relaxing the way they used to between the odd jobs they did for a living, but all of them working. Trip was tinkering with the communicator again, this time with Jen helping, Lucas was bent over some instrument, Katie was doing research with Circuit's help, and Alex was going through old newspapers. Wes was the only one without something useful to do. 

Alex. Everything had changed when he showed up. There hadn't been a relaxed moment since. Wes turned back to look out at the city again, unseeingly, remembering what had happened when Jen and Alex returned from the past. At first he had been only happy, that Jen was back safe. He had tried to be happy that Alex was there, too. No one could argue that he hadn't strengthened the team. In addition to his own Ranger powers, he had brought the Q-Rex. In all the months they had been trying, Jen and the others had only been able to capture one mutant, Steelix, and now Alex had already defeated Brickneck. Wes glanced at the small trunk that held their shrunken captives. 

That had been days ago. Days filled with tension, and work. He had thought Jen was dedicated... Alex was driven, obsessed with defeating Ransik as soon as possible. Although, considering he had almost been killed by the mutant, maybe it was understandable. 

Wes took another look around. There was one thing he could do that might not be exactly useful, but that seemed like the right thing. "I'm going out," he announced to no one in particular. "See you guys later." 

"Okay, Wes," Jen said, looking up with a hint of curiosity. Trip smiled. Alex only gave him a cold look as he headed for the stairs. Wes gave it right back. They were on the same side, working for the same goal. But he just couldn't like the guy. Maybe it was Alex's personality, maybe it was the disturbing way they looked alike. But he suspected much of it was the fact that they had something else in common. They both loved the same woman. 

* * *

Alex watched Wes walk by, listened as his footsteps faded down the stairs. He couldn't decide what bothered him more, Wes's bizarre resemblance to himself, his using the red morpher, his knowing entirely too much about their mission, or the way he kept looking at Jen. Not to mention the way she looked at him sometimes, too... 

He frowned. There was no room for jealousy in this situation. Had to ignore it. Had to ignore his relationship with Jen, too, difficult as that was. He had moved into the clock tower with the rest of them, but he and Jen weren't sleeping together. No extra room, no privacy, for one thing. He had thought of asking her to spend her nights with him in the ship, but things were strained between them since he had taken command from her. She certainly hadn't shown any indication of wanting to be with him. And he felt uncomfortable with the idea anyway, reluctant to share their bodies when he couldn't share what he was thinking. 

What he was thinking... so many of his thoughts were bitter and futile, filled with uncertainty and fear. He had gotten control of the Q-Rex, but at a steep price. Commander Porter was dead. What impact would that have? Porter hadn't been supposed to die. So much he didn't know, what had changed, how to correct it, whether he had done the right thing by taking the morpher and coming here. Whether he was doing the right thing now, by letting Wes stay. If he died too, or if he found out too much about the future... and yet there was no choice, they needed the help... 

And he couldn't even tell the others what he suspected, that Ransik had made his move, done his damage, already. By killing the commander of the Silver Guardians, he might have already won; without Porter perhaps the Guardians wouldn't survive the coming years to eventually become Time Force. Couldn't tell his teammates because of Wes, because he had seen the closeness and camaraderie between them and him, because one of them might let it slip. Even Jen. Maybe especially Jen. 

* * *

Wes hung back from the crowd of people clustered around the gravesite, watching from a little distance, not feeling a part of them, but still feeling that he owed this much to the man whose life he had been unable to save. Porter. Wes realized he didn't even know his first name. Knew nothing about him, except that he was Ransik's victim. 

The service went fast, perhaps because of the chilly drizzle that drifted over all of them. A quick and depressing ceremony. Wes was relieved when the group began to break up, a line of people waiting to say a few words to the widow, others standing around or heading for their cars. He picked out Eric in the unit of Guardians that had watched from behind their ever-present dark glasses, faces hard and impassive. 

And he spotted his father, headed straight for him. Wes took a step back, and turned to go, but it was too late. 

"Wes!" the familiar voice called. 

"Dad," he said, turning back reluctantly. 

"Wesley." Collins looked at him for a few moments, then around at the trees, shoving his hands in his pockets. "How have you been?" he asked. 

"Fine." 

"I hear you're living in the old clock tower downtown." 

Wes glanced at him, a little surprised that he had bothered to find out. "That's right." 

"I own that building, don't I?" 

"Yeah. What are you going to do, evict us?" 

"No, I'm not that petty." 

They stared at each other until Wes got uncomfortable enough to ask, "What do you want, Dad?" 

Collins seemed to hesitate, uncharacteristically. "I want an honest answer from you, Wesley," he finally said. 

"I'll give you one if I can." 

"Are you a Ranger?" 

Startled, Wes blinked and stared at him, knowing with a plunge of his heart that he had given himself away as he saw his father's gaze sharpen. But he tried denying it anyway. "Where did you get that idea?" he asked, forcing a smile. 

"From one of my Silver Guardians. Says he's an old schoolmate of yours." 

"Eric..." Wes knew instantly that he had made another mistake, and tried to cover it. "I mean, I saw him a few days ago... But... but why would he say something like that?" 

"Is it true?" 

Faced with the blunt question, he tried to lie, but found the words wouldn't come. Wes opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. "Dad... leave it alone," he said softly. 

"Wesley, you're still my son. If you're putting yourself in danger, I want to know. I want to know why, I want to know who those other people are..." 

"I can't talk about this. I'm sorry." 

"It _is_ true, isn't it? It all fits. The way you got involved when those kids were kidnapped by one of Ransik's mutants. The fact that you moved out right after that. The four people you're living with now." He looked at Wes searchingly. Wes avoided his eyes. "Who are they? How did you get involved in this?" 

"I said I'm not going to talk about it." 

Collins watched him silently for a few seconds, and then sighed. "All right. You're an adult now." 

"Thanks." 

"I want to make you an offer." 

Surprised again, Wes looked up. "What?" 

"The Guardians have no commander now. As you know." 

"Yeah. I know." 

"I need a new leader. I want you to take the job." 

"Me?" Wes blinked at him. "You want _me_ to take over the Silver Guardians?" 

"That's right." Collins was watching him, his expression intense. "Listen to me, son. If you want to protect the city, fine. But do it with the Guardians to back you up-" 

Wes cut him off. "No. Sorry, but I'm not interested." 

"But your Ranger technology could do Bio-Lab so much good..." 

"And that's what this is really about, isn't it?" Wes could almost see it, the greed behind his father's words. "You just don't get it, do you?" he asked harshly. "The Rangers aren't about money. We help everyone, not just people who pay for it. Our weapons, our technology, none of it is here to help _you_." He paused, and then went on. "I don't want any part of your company, or your private army." His father stared at him, a flicker of hurt running over his face, as he turned away. 

"All right. If that's the way you want it." The tone was bitter. But a moment later he spoke again, his voice so full of pain and vulnerability that Wes was touched in spite of himself. "You're right, Wesley, I just don't understand you." 

Wes turned for another look, feeling sudden regret at his own words, at all the angry words that had passed between them recently. But there was no going back, not now, no way to heal those wounds, at least not yet. "I guess we both don't understand," he said. "I hope someday we will." And this time, he kept walking. 

Wes was almost back to his motorcycle, depressed and lost in thought, when the sight of another familiar figure brought him up short. Eric, standing with several other Guardians near where their black SUV's were parked, obviously waiting to start on the drive back to Bio-Lab. Eric, who had told their secret. On impulse, he walked closer, seeing the other man straighten and stare at him defiantly. 

"I want to talk to you," he said. 

"And why should _I_ want to talk to _you_?" 

Wes felt a surge of anger, and used the one argument he was fairly sure would work. "What's the matter? Scared?" 

"Screw you." With a glare, Eric led the way. They stopped again several yards off, out of earshot of anyone else. "Just make it fast," he said, crossing his arms. 

"You told my father." 

Eric gave him an unfriendly smile. "That's right. So what? I never promised to keep your little secret." 

"I told you how important this is! Dammit, we saved your life! And this the kind of gratitude you show! You may have put all of our lives in danger!" 

Eric shrugged, but there might have been a trace of discomfort in his face. "He's your father. Doesn't he have the right to know? He won't spread it around, and I'm not planning to tell anyone else. If you had any brains you'd be asking him for help instead of keeping secrets from him." 

"We don't need his kind of help! He's already trying to take over! Just offered me a job as commander of the Silver Guardians! All he cares about is getting his hands on our technology, getting control of the Rangers..." He stopped, struck by the sudden flash of anger he saw on Eric's face. 

"He offered _you_ the job?" 

"Don't worry, I didn't take it. Told him I didn't want anything to do with it." 

"Good. Last thing we need is a spoiled rich brat leading us." Eric paused as Wes glared at him angrily. "Your friends could beat Ransik a lot faster with your father's money and technology," he went on. "But you never thought of that, did you? All you could think about was yourself!" 

Infuriated, Wes struck back. "Why did you tell him, anyway? To kiss up? To get the commander's job yourself? You'd probably tell Ransik if you thought it'd do you any good-" 

With a sudden move, Eric grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him close, to stare into a face filled with sudden rage. "Don't you ever say something like that, you asshole," he snarled. "I'm not a traitor!" 

"Aren't you?" Wes grasped his wrist and roughly yanked his hand away, stepping back. "As far as I'm concerned, you've betrayed _me_, out of -- of nothing but selfishness!" 

"Fine. Think whatever you like." Eric's face was cold and hard again. "What do I care?" With a quick turn, he marched off, back stiff, to rejoin his companions. 

* * *

It was late, Nadira had come looking for her father, to talk him into getting some rest. He had been so preoccupied lately, ever since their plan to get control of the Q-Rex had backfired and Brickneck had been captured. She winced inwardly as she remembered the other part of that plan, the part that had worked, to assassinate the leader of the Silver Guardians. While she knew what they were working for was important, and that inevitably people would get hurt, that cold and deliberate murder still had the power to disturb her. 

But then all other thoughts fled as she heard a cry from her father's study, the room he had taken over for his work. A scream, really, of pain. As she ran to the door and tried to open it, she heard crashes from the other side, as if furniture was being thrown around, and more cries. 

"Daddy!" she shouted, pounding on the locked door. Looking around in desperation, she saw that Conwing and Frax had also heard the noise, and were standing behind her. She tried the doorknob again, uselessly. 

But the sounds had stopped. Breathlessly she waited, hearing footsteps, and then stepping back as the door was thrown open. 

"Daddy?" she asked hesitantly. "Daddy, are you okay? 

Ransik smiled at her. She gasped as she saw the telltale bluish marks on his face and arms, irregular blotches that were fading in front of her eyes. "Oh, Daddy, not again," she said. 

"Yes. It's been so long, I was hoping it wouldn't happen again. But I found the serum in time. I'm fine, now." 

"But -- it'll only come back …" 

"There's plenty of serum." Ransik smiled at her, and then stepped out and faced Conwing and Frax. "I'll have time to finish what we came here to do." 

"Finish," Conwing said. "What's our next step?" 

"At the moment, nothing. I don't want to take the chance of attacking the Rangers again, not all six of them together. We'll wait. Make more cyclobots. Let Frax work on something bigger, something that can fight the Q-Rex. See how the Silver Guardians deal with the loss of their commander. Then, when the time is right, we'll attack in force." 

* * *

TBC... 


	8. Part II, Traitor: Venom

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Part II : Traitor

* * *

Venom

* * *

It was a lovely afternoon when they got the call. Eric reported to the loading bay where the Guardians kept their black SUV's with mixed feelings. He was glad to finally be going into action again, it was a distinct improvement over sitting around in idle waiting. It had been too long, for the last two months Ransik and his buddies had been quiet. It had gotten to the point that Eric had gotten worried that Collins would decide the Guardians were no longer necessary. 

But now, they had gotten an urgent summons to one of the local parks. Another suspected mutant attack. Perhaps it might give him a chance to show what he could do, to impress Collins at last into giving him command. Steve Miller was still their temporary leader, but no one thought he would be there permanently. Now the rumor was that someone would be hired from outside, someone they didn't know or trust, someone who might not be qualified, who had done nothing to deserve the position he would get. 

A lot like Wes Collins… Eric spent a few moments wondering if the Rangers would show up today, if he would run into Wes again. Their encounter at Commander Porter's funeral all those weeks ago had left him both angry and disturbed. And feeling a little guilty… although he told himself there was no reason. Mr. Collins had every right to know what his son was doing. And if telling him would help Eric, so much the better. Not that it had done him any good so far. 

And not that Wes deserved to be a Ranger anyway. Not for the first time, Eric wondered exactly how he had managed that. Not through ability or hard work, certainly. It must have been luck. Wes had always been a lucky bastard, born into money and privilege, good health, good looks, that easy charm that had made everyone at school like him. And what had Eric been born to? He had health and looks, true, but he had sure missed out on the rest of it, even on parents who gave a shit about him… He had always had to look out for himself, no one else had ever cared, why should he give a rat's ass about Mr. Wesley Collins or any of his Ranger friends… 

Shaken out of his thoughts, Eric glanced around as the line of cars skidded to a stop just outside Hillside Park. He climbed out with the others, and formed a line, unable to help staring into the park. 

Gently rolling hills, carefully kept lawns, groves of trees, an outdoor café, small round tables, chairs… and people. Not strolling along the pathways or sitting enjoying a snack. Bodies lying scattered around the park, among the tables. Others bending over them, or running from whatever invisible attacker had done this, fear on every face he could see. 

"Spread out!" Miller shouted from his position in front of the line of Guardians. "Help any victims you can, and find out what happened here!" 

Eric headed for the nearest victim he saw, a young man huddled miserably on the ground just outside the café. He bent over him, reaching out until he saw them. Irregular bluish blotches on the man's skin, seeming to deepen in color as he looked. Eric pulled his hand back. 

"What happened to you?" he asked. "What did this?" 

"Don't know…" The young man's voice was weak and shaking with fear. "Something scratched me, and then I started feeling sick…" He turned his head, indicating a reddish mark on his neck. 

"Did you see what it was?" 

"No… saw something moving, but it was too fast… help me…" 

"Hang in there. We'll get you to a hospital. You'll be fine." Eric smiled as reassuringly as he could, and got to his feet. Looking around, he saw other Guardians, exchanging confused and frightened glances. 

* * *

"Venomark." 

"What's that?" Wes looked up from the television at Alex's profile. They were all standing or sitting in the 'living room' of the clock tower, watching a news report. His eyes were drawn back to the screen, which showed people, dozens of them, sick and disfigured with strange bluish marks, being loaded into ambulances at Hillside Park. 

"Not what. Who." For once the subtle hostility was gone from Alex's voice as he answered, showing how distracted he was. For the last two months, after Alex had moved in with them, the relationship between him and Wes had been strained at best. Wes wasn't sure whether to be sorry or glad that things were almost as bad between Alex and Jen. In fact, the general atmosphere in their little 'family' had become distinctly uncomfortable. And he knew exactly who to blame. 

Their inactivity hadn't helped. Ransik, Frax, Conwing, and even Nadira seemed to have disappeared. They were stuck with waiting, not knowing what to expect, trying to cope with tension on top of boredom, on top of their personal conflicts. 

Alex went on. "Venomark is a mutant. He was being kept in miniaturized cryogenic containment in the prison ship Ransik took when he escaped. Ransik must have taken him along and set him loose, although I can't imagine why. Venomark was never one of his followers." 

"Venomark's one of the worst of them. Genetically designed to be a living biological weapon. He's crazy," Lucas said, his tone bitter. "He'll attack anyone, human or mutant. Ransik must be just as crazy, to let him out." 

"What did he do to those people?" 

Jen answered him. "His body manufactures a substance that acts both like a disease and a poison. It isn't transmitted from person to person, only directly from him. He has tiny claws or barbs in his fingers, and needle-sharp teeth. All he has to do is touch a person, barely scratch their skin, and they'll get sick. Like that." She nodded at the television. "And it's worse if he bites you. He's also extremely fast. Most of those people probably didn't even see him." 

"What's going to happen to them?" 

They all seemed to avoid his eyes, as Alex said softly, "Without treatment, they'll die." 

"What? There must be something we can do!" 

"There's an antidote. A serum." Alex looked around at all of them. "We knew Venomark would be here, and I brought the serum with me. Enough for all of us." 

"The serum? I'm surprised you could find any," Trip said. 

"Yes, it's rare, but Time Force has a small supply." Alex looked at Wes again, and to his surprise, continued the explanation. "The serum was invented by a doctor. Dr. Louis Fericks." 

* * *

It was strange, finding one of them here. Nadira was sure it hadn't been there before, she would have seen. It was as if someone had left it there deliberately, for them to find. She picked it up and went in search of her father, finding him in the main control room, staring at the monitor he had adjusted to pick up television. Without even glancing at the screen, she held out her hand. 

"What's this doing here, Daddy?" 

"Umm?" He didn't even look. 

Wondering what could be so fascinating, she faced the screen. It was a news show. Lots of humans swarming around, no surprise there. But wait… there was something familiar about the bluish marks on their skins… 

"Where did you find that?" Ransik's voice demanded. He was looking at the object in her hand. A cryogenic containment unit, one of the small, jar-like containers Time Force used to shrink prisoners and keep them in suspended animation, this one marked with a warning sign. 

"It was in your study, Daddy. Someone must have dropped it…" She stopped at the expression on his face. 

"Someone…" he said softly. "Someone who's brought my greatest enemy here… and now he's set him free, to mock me!" 

"Daddy?" 

"_Venomark._" His face was darkened with rage, so intense it frightened her. 

"Who?" 

"Venomark and I go way back… since before you were born. When I was alone and abandoned, living on the street, he attacked me, for no reason. Bit me, with those poisonous fangs." Ransik raised a hand to the disfigured half of his face. "I still bear the mark of that bite. He has some sort of acid in his mouth, it created deep scars, and medical treatment to remove them doesn't work on my mutant metabolism. I would have died, if not for a human doctor…" 

* * *

"Dr. Fericks sympathized with mutants. And he built robots. People said he liked them better than humans. He originally developed the serum to control the side effects of certain mutation-inducing drugs. But it also cured Venomark's victims." Alex sighed. "He was a great man. But he had a weakness where mutants were concerned." 

"What do you mean?" Wes asked. 

"He tried too hard to help them. Maybe that's what destroyed him in the end." 

* * *

Ransik's face was distant as he went on. "His name was Louis Fericks. He found me, dying in an alleyway, in terrible pain. Took me to his laboratory, and gave me the serum he had developed. It cured me. But only temporarily." 

His eyes focused again on Nadira's face as he went on. "He explained that my body reacted differently to the poison than a human's does. The cure was not permanent. The sickness would come back, and I would have to keep taking that serum for the rest of my life. The rest of my life, I would be shackled to those little blue vials… 

"But that wasn't all the good doctor was up to in that laboratory. He built robots, too. Remarkably useful, human-like robots. He showed them to me. We talked. He claimed that he considered humans, mutants, and robots all to be equal, all the same." Ransik smiled ferociously. "What a fool." 

"What happened then, Daddy?" 

"I knew I could use his robots. He was glad to show me the specifications, all his engineering records. I took them. And all the serum he had stored. He tried to fight, but he was no match for me." 

"But, Daddy," Nadira said very softly. "He helped you…" 

Ransik seemed not to have heard, his eyes drifting back to the monitor screen. "I took everything I could use, set his laboratory on fire, and left him there." 

* * *

"Dr. Fericks disappeared. It was maybe twenty years ago. His lab was burned down, the body was never found, but he must have died in the fire; he was never seen again." 

"He was a fool to trust mutants the way he did. One of them probably killed him," Jen said, her voice as bitter as Wes had ever heard it. 

"Not all mutants are bad," Trip protested. 

Jen gave him a quick and perhaps guilty glance. "I know, Trip. Katie. But some are. Just like some humans are bad. Ransik certainly is, and Venomark." 

Wes glanced at the television again. "We have to do something. Is there any way to make more of that serum?" 

"Well… I suppose it could be synthesized, even with present-day technology. But I can't allow it," Alex responded. 

"Why the hell not?" 

"That serum has other applications. In the long run, it's dangerous. Too risky to let anyone in this time have access to it." 

"So you're just going to let all those people die?" Wes glared at him, his fists clenching. "What kind of cold-hearted-" 

"Wes, please," Jen interrupted. "Alex, I think Wes is right. We have to risk it." 

"It's my decision, Jennifer. And I say we can't interfere with the timeline-" 

This time it was Katie who interrupted. "Alex, none of those people were meant to die. All of this, Venomark's attack, is part of Ransik's interference with history. Maybe the death of one of those people, or all of them, is what could prevent Time Force from existing! Don't you see; we can't _not_ save them. That's the greater risk." 

Seeing Alex hesitate, Wes jumped in. "I can take the serum to Bio-Lab. Get my Dad to make enough to save everyone, and then… I'll ask him to destroy the rest." 

"How do we know he'll do it?" 

"I -- I don't know, I'll get him to somehow. It doesn't matter, Katie's right, we have to help those people!" 

Alex nodded abruptly. "All right." He turned, moved away, and kept talking as he began to search through the supplies he had brought from his ship. "I'll give you a container of the serum. And a printout with the procedure for making it. Take them, get started, meanwhile we'll go to the park where Venomark was last seen. If he's still there, we'll find him. Put a stop to this, right now. And no one needs to die…" 

All of them looked relieved, Wes saw with a quick glance. And then Alex was holding out a small plastic tube of bright blue liquid and a folded computer printout. Wes took them, and shot a grin at his double, seeing him return it with a brief, restrained smile as he turned to run for the stairs. 

* * *

Ransik held up a small tube of blue liquid, gazing at it for a moment, smiling, but not in a friendly way, as he tucked it into his belt and glanced at Nadira. "I've waited years for the chance to repay Venomark for what he did to me," he said with quiet intensity. "Now, it's time to settle our account." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Find him. And when I do… With the serum, I'm safe from him. But he will not be safe from me!" 

"Daddy, wait! Take Conwing with you…" 

"This is between me and that diseased lunatic! No one will interfere!" 

Nadira watched him go, biting her lip fearfully. She didn't like the idea of disobeying, but she was frightened for him... After only a moment's hesitation, she was running to find Conwing. 

* * *

"I need to see my father. Now." 

"Wes…" The secretary at the desk in front of Alan Collins' office hesitated. "I'm sorry, but he's in a meeting. We have an emergency, you know." 

"I know that! That's why I'm here!" Wes took a deep breath. He had run into nothing but obstacles since he got here, one person after another informing him that he had no business in Bio-Lab anymore. They had slowed him down, but they hadn't stopped him. 

He tried a big smile, the smile that had usually gotten him what he wanted, especially from women… "Please, I really need to talk to him." 

"Well…" She was already reaching for the phone. After a few soft murmurs, she put it down. "Okay, go on in." 

"Thanks." He went to the door, pausing just for a moment before opening it, memories flooding back, an unexpected nostalgia coming over him. 

He had come to Bio-Lab as soon as he got his business degree. Five years here, five years of working in a job he didn't really like, that he now felt he wasn't suited for. Five years of doing what was expected of him, instead of what he wanted to do. But it hadn't been all bad. How many times had he walked into this office before, smiling, seeing his father's face brighten at the sight of him? 

But not today. Collins was sitting at his desk, looking up, his face betraying a complex of emotions; tension, anger, curiosity, maybe even happiness as a hint of a smile appeared and vanished. Wes realized this was the first time they had seen each other in months; the last time had been at Commander Porter's funeral. When his father had offered him another job… when they had argued again... 

"Would you excuse, us, please," Collins said now to the two men standing in front of the desk. With quick nods and glances at Wes, they collected a few piles of paper and left. 

They stared at each other until Wes broke the silence. "Dad, I need your help." 

"I don't see you for months, and now you come here looking for help?" He watched coldly as Wes tried to find an answer. "Well, what do you want? Money?" 

"No! The city's being attacked. People are sick, dying." 

"I know that. The Guardians are trying to help." 

"This can cure them." Wes pulled the vial and the papers he had brought out of his pocket, and set them down. 

Collins stared at them for a moment, then up at Wes's face. "Where did you get this?" 

"Doesn't matter. What matters is helping those people. Bio-Lab is the only place that can make enough of this in time." 

His father's blue eyes were boring into him again. "You're asking me to take this stuff, spend company time and money on it, and hand it out to the people of this city, without knowing where it came from or how you got it?" 

Wes returned his gaze steadily. "I know this is safe. I know it will work. This serum is the only chance all those people have. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you any more." As they continued to stare at each other he added, "I hope someday I can explain everything. But for now, you'll just have to trust me." 

Another moment, his father searching his face as Wes held his breath. And then Collins said softly. "Okay. Son." 

* * *

TBC... 


	9. Vengeance

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Vengeance

* * *

The day was still lovely, the sun shining and only a few clouds skidding across the sky. But the people in Hillside Park were no longer there for pleasure. There were a few civilians, most of them hurrying toward the exits, a few victims still waiting for transportation to the hospital; medical personnel, and police and Silver Guardians. 

Alex began to feel out of place almost immediately, acutely conscious of the fact that they had no official reason to be there. For a moment he wished for his Time Force uniform and the respect it automatically gave him, as he saw one of the navy-blue uniformed Silver Guardians spot them and head their way, frowning in obvious annoyance. He was about Alex's age and size, black-haired, Asian eyes glaring at him, then narrowing in perplexity as he got closer. 

"Wes?" he demanded. "What the hell did you do to your hair?" 

"I'm not…" he started automatically, then caught himself and continued, "It's none of your concern." 

The man looked even angrier. "Have it your own way. But all of you shouldn't be here. We've got the situation under control. We don't need help from you." 

"We have resources you don't, Eric," Jen said, helpfully identifying who he was talking to. Eric Myers, Wes's troublesome former friend, the same one who had accidentally discovered their identities and told Wes's father. 

"Resources. Right. Well, we have _resources_, too. I said we can handle it. So you can all just turn around again and go home." 

"No way," Lucas growled, taking a step forward to confront Eric face to face. "You have no idea what you're up against. So stop being so pig-headed and get out of our way." 

"Who's gonna make me?" 

"Calm down, Mr. Myers," Alex interrupted. "This is public property. Unless you're planning to arrest us, we're staying." 

"_Mr. Myers?_" Eric stared at him more closely. "Wait a minute… you're not…" He was cut off by a scream, ringing through the air and bringing them around to look toward a nearby exit. 

Something was happening; something dark and violent was happening under the bright sun and clear sky. A small group of people was running, shouting; as Alex and his team started towards them they saw a woman collapse to the ground, a small, pale man stepping over her and darting after the others with impossible speed, reaching out to brush his fingers over a man's arm. The man cried out in pain and staggered to a stop. 

"Venomark!" Alex shouted. "Morph, now!" 

They followed his order, barely in time, the suits protecting them as the mutant charged, slashing at Katie with small, cat-like claws extending from his fingertips. He snarled like an animal in anger as she jumped back. Alex already had his blaster out; he fired and missed, unable to aim fast enough as Venomark dodged between the others, and then came after him. 

Alex met him with a kick, knocking him back, but he came again, clawed hands reaching out. The suit would protect him -- probably -- Alex retreated, twisted out of the way, dropped and kicked again, sweeping the mutant's feet out from under him. As he scrambled back out of reach again, he brought up the Quantum Defender, ready to fire, aware of the other Rangers closing in, Eric running up... 

A blast caught him by surprise, coming from behind. Alex fell to his hands and knees, seeing more blasts drive his teammates back. Venomark was already up, but not attacking, he was backing off, eyes wide with fear. 

"You're mine, Venomark!" a deep voice roared. 

Alex blinked, froze, then turned to look as that sound sent echoes of past fear and pain through him. It was Ransik. As tall, massive, and fearsome as he remembered, striding towards them, anger blazing on his face, the blaster he had used on them in his hand. 

"Ransik!" Venomark cried in a squeaky voice. 

"Glad to see you remember me! I haven't forgotten _you_." Ransik raised a hand to his scarred face. "For years I've dreamed of this moment. Thought of it every time I looked in the mirror, every time I had to take that damn serum. And now... it's time for you to pay for what you did to me!" He aimed the blaster as Venomark cringed. 

"Ransik!" This time it was Alex shouting, swept away by the rage that filled him at the sight of his enemy, the man who had almost killed him, who had caused all the misery he had been through, who was responsible for the horror he had seen his world become. As a burst of fury brought him to his feet, he forgot for a moment about Venomark, his teammates, about everything except Ransik. 

"Stay out of this, Ranger!" The mutant started forward. 

Alex brought the Defender up and fired, feeling a fierce satisfaction as Ransik staggered and cried out in pain and anger. "Give up, Ransik! I beat you once, and I can do it again!" 

The black-haired mutant looked directly at him for the first time. "What are you talking about?" 

"You thought you killed me, didn't you?" He took a step closer. "The last time we fought, I was wearing red and white. I'm wearing a different suit now, but I'm still going to take you in." 

"The red Ranger..." 

"That's right." 

"As I recall, I beat you, the second time we met." Ransik's eyes moved away from him again. "But today, my quarrel's not with you. Just stand aside, and let me take care of that-" 

"Don't move!" Alex fired again, hitting him with a radiant burst of energy, then was taken by surprise as Ransik shot back. 

They both fell to the grass, both trying to take aim again. There was a shout and a flicker of movement. Alex glanced to see Venomark running, the other Rangers leaping after him but left behind by his speed. Eric was in his path, running to block him, blaster in hand; he managed to fire just before the mutant charged into him but the shot went wild. There was a cry as Venomark grabbed him, seeming to hug him for a moment, sunlight catching the mutant's long fangs in a flash of white before they ripped at Eric's face. The Guardian fell, collapsing to the grass, but Katie had caught up to them, Lucas right behind her. 

"No! He's mine!" Ransik shouted, climbing to his feet, ignoring Alex and starting for the struggling group. 

"Ransik!" Alex was up again, too, taking a few steps before he stopped, staring. Something was wrong with Ransik. He had staggered to a stop, hunching over, seeming to be in pain. A hoarse gasp came from him as he abruptly fell to his knees, trembling as he fumbled in his belt for something. 

"Oh, my God..." Alex stepped closer, watching in disbelief as bluish blotches appeared on Ransik's skin, as he recognized the vial of blue liquid the mutant now had in a shaking hand. "No, you don't!" Acting on instinct, urged by hatred, he took quick aim and fired again, but not at Ransik himself, striking the little tube, sending its contents spilling to the grass in a shower of shattered glass. 

Ransik looked up at him, his face a mask of fear and stunned surprise. Alex heard a shout and looked around to see Venomark swing at Jen, knocking her down, and leap to crouch over the fallen Silver Guardian, who was lying helpless and moaning on the ground, face covered by bloody hands. He started for them at a run as the mutant pulled Eric up, forcing his head back, ready to slash his throat with those deadly fangs. 

He was grinning at them, starting to back away, dragging his hostage with him, when a beam blasted into him, sending him spinning back and falling to the ground. Katie and Trip were on him in a heartbeat, as Alex looked behind him. He recognized Conwing instantly, blaster in hand, giving them all a grim smile as he knelt over his fallen leader, touched a control on his belt, and vanished in a sparkle of transporter light. 

* * *

"Daddy!" Nadira cried out in shock and horror when she saw him. Ransik was sick, as bad as she had ever seen him, a large part of his visible skin covered in an ugly blue, staggering into the main control room with Conwing's help. 

"The serum..." he gasped. "The Quantum Ranger destroyed the vial I had with me... help me..." 

"Bring him!" She dashed for Ransik's workroom, and the supply she knew he kept in a small trunk in the corner. Ran to the door, turned the knob and pushed it open, turning as Ransik lurched to her side and leaned against the doorframe, saw his eyes widen and looked inside, pulling in a sharp breath of horror. 

The room was splashed with blue liquid, the surfaces shiny and wet with it, light glimmering off tiny fragments of glass scattered everywhere, as if someone had tossed a handful of diamonds into the air. Frax stood behind the desk, his expressionless metal face watching them, the trunk of serum open before him, and empty. 

"My serum..." Ransik whispered. 

"Yes, your precious serum, all gone. Looks like someone's spilled it, all of it. What a shame," the robot said, one hand lifting and dropping an empty, broken vial, his mechanical voice somehow vibrating with hate. 

"Frax -- what happened?" Nadira asked, still not understanding. 

Frax ignored her. "Tell me, do you remember the first time you met Venomark, Ransik?" 

"Of course I remember!" 

"And do you remember the man who saved your life? The foolish human who took pity on you, brought you to his home, treated you, showed you all the accomplishments that made his life worthwhile?" 

Ransik only stared. 

"You attacked him. Rewarded him with treachery." Frax's voice rose. "You left him for dead, set his lab on fire, stole his designs for the robots we use now. But he was still alive. Horribly wounded, dying, disfigured, but alive, and determined to survive." 

"What are you..." 

"He had another, hidden laboratory. He managed to escape the fire and went there. Knew his only chance was to discard the human body _you_ had destroyed, to remake himself, re-create himself as one of the robots you despise so much." Frax leaned forward slightly, his voice lower now, but intense. "He succeeded. Reborn as a robot, he sought you out, became one of your followers, eventually gained your trust, as much trust as you have for anyone. And all this time, he's been with you, waiting for his chance to repay the debt he owes you." 

"You..." Horror was growing in Ransik's face, and in Nadira's heart. 

"Yes, Ransik. I was once Dr. Louis Fericks. I was once human, until you destroyed me!" 

There was silence, for a moment, until Ransik gasped, "I don't believe it..." 

"Oh, it's true." The golden robot paused. "I showed you kindness, once. And you showed me hatred. I've learned my lesson well. Now I've corrected that mistake I made years ago. You'll die, Ransik, not immediately, no, you'll have a little time to suffer, but not as much as I've suffered." 

"Get him!" Ransik snarled as Conwing pushed by him, already with blaster in hand. 

But Frax held up his hand. She could see blue in it, and the flash of light off glass. "Careful," he said. "This is the last one. You wouldn't want a clumsy, stupid robot like me to drop it, now would you?" 

"Frax!" Ransik took a step forward, but Conwing held out an arm, blocking him. 

The tall, white-skinned mutant's voice was as calm as if he were having a casual conversation. "Frax, just give me the vial. We can make a deal. There must be something you want." 

"I have what I want. Or will. Soon." Frax turned the tube in his claw-like 'hand', holding it up as if admiring it. Then Nadira moaned softly, helpless, as his metallic fingers opened, the fragile tube slipped down... Conwing lunged with eye-blurring speed, but it was too late. Frax vanished into a transporter flash, leaving behind only a smashed tube, mocking laughter, and Ransik's roar of rage and fear. 

"Daddy!" Nadira cried in panic as he stumbled forward and fell, doubling up in pain. She looked around frantically. There was nothing left. "What can we do?" she asked. Conwing stared at Ransik, at her, and then ran out. He returned in a moment, a small object in his hand. Nadira shuddered as she saw what it was. "No!" she cried. 

"It's the only way to keep him alive." 

"Oh, Daddy..." Tears blurred her vision as she nodded, and watched Conwing hold up the cryogenic containment unit, the same one that had imprisoned Venomark, and watched her father shrink, freeze, and vanish inside. 

* * *

"We should have helped him," Jen muttered as she watched the images on their television, back in the clock tower. She swallowed, feeling sickened by what she saw, even more by what she remembered of the day before. 

It had been an ugly scene, after Ransik escaped with Conwing and they had captured Venomark, who was now safely inside a cryogenic container. Alex had been furious, had seemed not to even notice Eric, shivering and groaning on the ground, in agony from Venomark's poison and the slashes across his face. Trip and Katie had wanted to help, asked permission to give him the serum, pointed out that their medical equipment could heal him in minutes, but Alex refused. 

In a way Jen had to agree with him. Wes had done his part; the serum was now available to save everyone who had been attacked, so Eric's life wasn't in danger. They couldn't afford to advertise the fact that the serum had come from them, couldn't afford to show anyone any more of their advanced technology than they had to. But still... it had seemed so cold and heartless to just walk away... Jen hardly knew Eric, and didn't like what she had seen, but she couldn't help pitying anyone in pain. 

"I wish we could have. But I hope you would have made the same decision." Alex was standing just behind her, his voice startling her. 

"I suppose you're right." What would she have done? Maybe it was better that Alex was in charge, after all. He was strong enough to make this kind of decision. Or hard enough... Once again she wondered why he seemed so different. He had always been dedicated and driven, but there had also been warmth and kindness in him. What had taken that part away? Was it only his injuries at Ransik's hands? Was an experience like that enough to change a person so much? And... once this was over, would he be himself again? 

"No, he's _not_ right. Eric's gotten the serum now. But he didn't have to suffer. And he could have scars from that bite. You should have helped." Wes was at her other side, staring angrily past her at Alex. 

"You know why we couldn't," Alex replied stiffly. 

"Yeah, I know. But we could have asked Eric not to tell. Explained..." 

"And we all know how well that worked before." 

Wes shot him another glare before looking back at the television. Jen watched him for a moment from the corner of her eye, then glanced at Alex's stony face, once again struck by the sharp contrast between these two almost identical men. Alike physically, but so different mentally. Wes had all the compassion and gentleness that was suddenly so missing in her fiancé. There was a time she had wished he was more like Alex. Now it was just the opposite. 

"Hey, look." Lucas's voice from the couch brought her attention back. Eric himself had appeared on the screen, almost unrecognizable behind a layer of bandages. He was in a hospital room, sitting on a chair, a horde of reporters thrusting microphones in his face. 

_"Mr. Myers, what happened to the mutant who attacked you and the other victims?"_

With a shrug, Eric answered, his voice scratchy. _"I don't remember too much after I was bitten. But I think the Rangers took him with them."_

_"And what about the mutant who calls himself Ransik, and his partner?" _

"They got away." 

"The Rangers couldn't stop them?" 

"No." Eric's expression of anger was clear, even through the bandaging. _"They let themselves be distracted. Venomark got me while they were all watching that new Ranger fighting with Ransik. Then they all went after Venomark and let Ransik get away. If it had been a squad of the Silver Guardians instead, all three of those mutants would be in jail right now, and I wouldn't have... this."_ He raised a hand to his face. 

_"So you think the Rangers made a mistake?" _

"They made a lot of mistakes. Just shows Silver Hills shouldn't be counting on a bunch of amateurs to protect them." 

"They seem to be the only ones who can fight the mutants successfully." 

"The Guardians haven't gotten a real chance yet. And remember, no one knows where the Rangers came from, or what they're really after. Why should we trust them?" 

"Well, he's right about one thing. We made a few mistakes," Alex said. 

"From where I was, you made the mistake," Lucas retorted, surprising Jen with the defiance in his voice. "Ransik was after Venomark, not us. If you hadn't attacked him, maybe we could have gotten all of them!" 

"Ransik's our target here. Venomark's just a distraction." 

"He was more than a distraction to all those people he infected! You should have concentrated on him first!" 

"If that's your idea of strategy, it's a good thing I'm in command!" 

"Alex, Lucas, please!" Jen raised her voice enough to silence both of them. "Arguing won't help. Ransik's our enemy, not each other." 

Lucas looked back at the television silently, his expression still stubborn and angry. Alex gave her a cold, sharp glance, and for a moment she thought he would reprimand her, until his eyes slid away with more than a trace of discomfort, perhaps even guilt. But he only turned away and stalked off to his workbench, leaving the room in silence. 

* * *

Conwing watched intently as the image of Eric vanished from the screen. A Guardian. The same one who had seemed to know the Red Ranger. He seemed angry, he blamed the Rangers for what had happened to him. He would be even angrier, and desperate, when he realized exactly what Venomark had done to his face. Anger and desperation, emotions Conwing was very familiar with. He had already begun to think of a plan, a way to get Ransik out of that container... And Eric Myers might be the right tool to make that plan work. He smiled in anticipation. 

* * *

TBC... 


	10. Wounds

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Wounds

* * *

It had been a week. The pain had faded. The stitches would come out in another week. The swelling and soreness were almost gone; he could move his jaw enough to eat solid food again. He was strong enough to go back to work. 

Eric stared at himself in the mirror. It was his first good look, the first time he had removed the bandage; but now he had to wash his face, and shave, and try to look presentable. As much as he could. It wasn't a pretty sight. The stitches were black, stark against skin that was reddened and puffy and still looked raw. Such a bizarre sensation, looking at your own face after it had been sewed up like a piece of cloth. And these seams would always be with him. 

He had never been particularly vain, but had always taken it for granted that good looks and a strong body were among the few advantages he had been born with. He would recover completely, given a little time, but the memory of being helpless and sick would always be with him. Especially with that face as a reminder. There would be scars, the doctors had warned him. '_How bad?'_ he had asked. They had only glanced at each other, not answering, and that was answer enough. 

How bad... He leaned closer to the mirror. Deep cuts ran across the side of his face, across the cheek, one going through the corner of his mouth. The skin along his jaw had been torn, mangled, and the doctors had said some chemical in Venomark's bite had damaged the skin further, leaving it thickened and distorted. At best, the marks would always be conspicuous and ugly, at worst -- he would be a freak... No pretty girl would ever automatically smile at the sight of him again, _this_ would be the first thing people saw when they looked at him. For the rest of his life. Eric squeezed his eyes tight, shutting out the sight, clenching his fists as despair threatened to overcome him. 

All because the Rangers had screwed up, had let it happen... maybe that wasn't entirely fair, but he was in no mood for fairness, what had happened hadn't been _fair_, damn it... And he had heard them, the yellow and green ones had wanted to help, they _could_ have helped, but the red one wouldn't let them. The new Ranger... not Wes, he was sure now, but with Wes's face and voice. Did he have some long-lost identical twin or something? 

Eric opened his eyes, forced himself to look long enough to wash and shave, and covered the wounds with new bandages as soon as he could. He had survived everything else. He could survive this, too. 

* * *

"Hey, Trip, Katie. Lucas." Wes made his way to the couch in their living area, greeted with half-hearted smiles from Trip and Katie, a glum nod from Lucas, a glance from Jen, and nothing from Alex. He sighed inwardly as he sat and tried to relax, feeling uncomfortable at having nothing useful to do now after a morning shopping trip, remembering other days, bright smiles, teasing, laughter. 

It was Alex, of course. The guy was an incredible wet blanket. Always so serious, always working. Jen was dedicated, but Alex made her look like a party girl. Not for the first time, he wondered exactly why she had ever been attracted to him... How could a guy like that, with all the charm of a -- a piece of machinery, get a great girl like Jen? 

Maybe he was biased. Probably. It was only since Alex had shown up that Wes had completely realized how he felt about her. That somehow, sometime during the last months, his feelings had gone from friendship and admiration to love. 

Of course he knew it was hopeless. Even if she hadn't been engaged, once Ransik was captured, once their mission was over, they would go back to their own time. He would never see her again. So maybe it was better that Alex had arrived. If Jen returned his feelings, if they were really together, losing her would be unbearable. 

He saw Jen sigh and put down the instrument she had been working on. She got to her feet. "I'm going out for a run," she said to no one in particular. "See you guys later." 

Wes watched her go, wishing he could go with her, but she had increasingly been silent and withdrawn lately, and he sensed she didn't want company now. But Alex seemed to have a different opinion. After fidgeting for a few minutes, he got up too, mumbled something about getting fresh air, and headed out. Wes thought he could almost hear a sigh of relief from everyone left in the room. 

"So, what are you guys doing the rest of the day?" he asked. 

"I've got some work to do on our communicator. Thought I got it working, but I still can't pick anything up." Trip frowned. "Strange, it's almost like no one at Time Force is answering." 

"I'm going downtown to finish up that filing job from yesterday," Lucas said. 

"And I'll be minding the store," Katie added. "What are you up to, Wes?" 

"I dunno. Guess I'll hang around here, in case we get any more work." 

"If Alex finds you here when he comes back, I'm sure he'll find something useful for you to do." 

"Yeah, he can't stand to see any of us just relaxing..." Wes hesitated. "You guys knew him before. Was he always like this? I mean..." He shook his head. "I don't understand what Jen ever saw in him sometimes, no offense, I know you're his friends..." 

"I'm starting to wonder if we _did_ know him," Lucas said after a brief silence. 

"Yeah," Katie broke in. "Alex was always kind of serious, but not like _this_. He's changed." 

"Something happened to him. Something bad. He doesn't like to think about it," Trip said softly, as they all turned to look at him. Trip was mildly psychic, and all of them had a great deal of respect for his hunches and feelings. 

"_What_ happened, Trip? And why won't he tell us?" Katie asked. 

"I don't know. Just that he's scared." Trip's eyes turned dreamy, seeing something the rest of them knew they couldn't. "He wants to protect us... but he's going to hurt himself... and Jen, she's all confused..." His eyes turned suddenly to focus on Wes. 

"Well, sure she's confused," he said, feeling unexpectedly defensive. "We all are." 

Lucas stood. "Sounds like we should cut them both some slack," he said, looking down at Wes with an expression he couldn't read. "And not -- interfere." 

"I'm not interfering with anything," Wes muttered. _Not that I wouldn't like to,_ he added to himself. 

* * *

She saw him with a quick glance, following her down Hillside Park's jogging path, slowly catching up. Could hear him breathing as he got close enough, his footsteps pounding behind her. Jen made a face, not looking back, so he couldn't see. Just like Alex, to follow her, but not to call out or stop her, or say he wanted to talk. No, he preferred to pretend she wasn't even there, that he just happened to be out for a run, that she didn't even exist… 

She sped up, angry, wanting to leave him in her dust. But he matched her pace, and began to overtake her again, almost reaching her side. Jen ran even faster, harder, until she was beginning to gasp for air, wanting him to slow down and fall behind. _How did this get to be a race?_ she asked herself ruefully as her legs began to burn. How did everything with Alex get to be a contest? 

Finally, with him still right behind her, she slowed, ready to collapse, and fell into a walk, trying to catch her breath. As Alex came up beside her, she saw with a certain satisfaction that he was winded and sweating too. 

"Nice run. You've stayed in shape," he said rather breathlessly. 

"Yeah. You too," she answered grudgingly, not looking at him. 

"Important. To keep physical condition." 

"I know." 

They walked on, until Jen felt ready to stop and stretch out her muscles. Straight-legged, she bent to touch the ground, then into a lunge position for her calves. Alex watched her for a moment, then copied her. When she was done, Jen started back on the park pathway through the trees towards the clock tower, leaving Alex to catch up. 

"Jen, wait," he finally said. 

"What?" 

"I think we need to talk." 

"What about?" 

"You're obviously uncomfortable with this situation." 

"Why would I be uncomfortable about anything?" 

"Jen, don't do this." 

She heard a tone almost of pleading and looked at his face, finding it for once open, revealing an expression of such sadness that compassion melted her anger away. "Alex," she said, stopping to face him. "I -- of course I'm uncomfortable." She hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Ever since you came here, I -- I feel like I don't know you anymore. You're always so -- so closed up. You're different, and the way you've been treating all of us... I'd really like to know what happened to change you like this." 

"Ransik happened. I almost died." 

"It's more than that, isn't it?" She paused, but he didn't answer. "We loved each other. Can't you-" 

"Loved?" Suddenly his voice and face were hard and cold, his eyes sharp as they seemed to pierce through her. "Since when is it past tense?" 

"I meant love -- we love each other…" 

"I think you had it right the first time. And maybe we should get it out in the open. It's Wes, isn't it?" 

"I don't know what you mean." 

"Yes, you do. I've seen the way you look at each other. All those months when I was lying in a hospital bed, the two of _you_ were…" 

"That's not true! Wes and I are just friends." 

"He certainly thinks of you as more than a friend." Alex's eyes narrowed, his tone almost thoughtful now. "I'm not sure about you… but maybe it's natural. I show up when the bunch of you were obviously having a good time, and ruin everything by wanting to concentrate on our mission, by making you give up command…" 

"That's not fair! We were working hard to beat Ransik! And I don't notice that things have gone any faster with you here!" 

"Maybe if I got some cooperation, they would!" 

"Fine, _sir_, whatever you say." She turned away from him and started walking stiffly. 

"Jen… Shit!" She glanced back, almost amused despite her anger. It took a lot for Alex to curse. He trotted a few steps to catch up and walk beside her. "Jen, we shouldn't be fighting. Whatever problems we have mustn't interfere with the mission." 

"The mission," she retorted, annoyed, frustrated, and somehow hurt and disappointed. "That's all you care about, isn't it?" 

"No, that's not all. But it's more important than us, or Wes, or anything else. More important than you know…" He trailed off. 

"I know how important it is. But it's not the only thing I can think about." 

He smiled, reached out, brushed gentle fingers over her cheek. Just for a moment, the old Alex was back, the one who loved her, the one she still loved. He seemed to hesitate before he said, "Look, when this is over, we'll work all of this out." 

"I hope so," she muttered, disappointed again. "I -- I think I'm going to stay out here for a while, if you don't mind." 

She thought she saw another shadow of sadness flicker across his face. But all he said was, "Sure. See you later." 

There was a bench only a few steps away. Jen sat in the shade of a large tree, watching Alex walk away, seeing how his shoulders slumped, as if he felt defeated. For a moment she wanted to go after him, to rub those tired shoulders, and hug him, and tell him everything would be all right, that she still loved him and always would. But she wasn't sure if it was true. 

Another face had begun to intrude on her dreams, to come between her and the love and loyalty she still felt for her fiancé. Alex's face, but with blond hair… Jen bent her face down, ashamed of the tears that suddenly sprang into her eyes. It was only because of the circumstances, that must be it. Wes was fun to be with, he made her feel good, made her laugh, while Alex, now, always made her angry, or sad, or even afraid. 

Which one? Which one did she love? Both, she knew with a sudden clarity. Both, in different ways. But that left her with an even more difficult, and more troublesome question. For the moment she only wanted to stay there among the trees, alone, wished she would never have to go back to face the choice she sensed she would someday have to make. Which one did she love more? 

* * *

The prison ship was so empty, now. Nadira reflected that she hadn't realized how much her father's presence had filled it. How much he had filled her life. Like the ship, she felt empty without him, echoing, no purpose and no future. And frightened, knowing she was stranded here, with only Conwing to protect her. Right now, all she wanted was to go home. But, she realized, there would be nothing there for them, except jail for her father, and perhaps for her. Not unless they stayed, and finished what they had come for. It was what Ransik would have wanted. 

"We could wake him up," she said. "He'd know what to do." 

"No. He'd be sick, too sick to think straight. And he'd weaken fast. We'll only wake him in an emergency. As a last resort," Conwing's voice answered from behind her. 

She sighed, her eyes on the containment unit that held Ransik in cryogenic suspension. Such a small prison, for such a large man. That small, round metal bottle, her father inside, shrunken, frozen in endless sleep... It made her shiver just to think about it. 

She and Conwing had spent hours searching, going through the ship, looking for some hidden, forgotten vial of serum. But there was nothing, Ransik had been too careful to leave any of his life-saving medicine lying around. If he had, they wouldn't be in this fix. But now... he was worse off than all those humans who had been scratched or bitten, they had all gotten the treatment, they were cured, and didn't have to worry... they could even get more serum, if they needed it... and that was when it hit her. 

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "The serum! Bio-Lab made the serum!" 

"I know. But it's all under lock and key now. On the television it said they took what was left back from the hospitals. We can't exactly go walking in and ask for it." 

"We have to get it! Daddy would go and take it!" 

Conwing was smiling as she turned to look at him, that smile that always left her feeling chilled. "I have no doubt your father would simply attack Bio-Lab with a horde of cyclobots. Even if I wanted to do the same, the cyclobots won't obey me." He was silent for a few moments, gazing at her before going on. "I prefer a more subtle approach, one that may get us more than a few tubes of serum." 

"Do you have something in mind?" 

"Yes, I've been considering a plan. We'll need inside help. And I think I know who might be persuaded to do it. As soon as it's dark, I'll 'invite' him to pay us a visit." 

* * *

It was evening as Alex stood at the window of the clock tower, looking out over the city. How many times had he stood here, just watching? It was beautiful, especially now, as the sun was setting, the sky lit with shades of red and orange. Some cynical corner of his mind remarked that the colors were the result of the pollution that was still a problem in the 21st century, a problem that had been solved in his own time. Yes, they had clean air -- but had lost this beauty... 

_What is it like now?_ He closed his eyes, seeing it all over again, that ripple of change running through the very fabric of reality, leaving a landscape of horror. It was up to them to make sure that reality never happened. Even if it cost their lives... And he knew there was every chance that it would. 

Jen... if only he could talk to her, really talk, tell her everything, how afraid he was, how sick with fear and dread, how he wanted sometimes to give up, to just run away, the two of them, run away and hide somewhere, be safe, live out their lives together here and now. But of course she would never do it, she would say they had their duty to do. And he knew she would be right. 

* * *

The end of the day, what felt like a very long day. Eric pulled over in front of his house and parked in the lengthening shadows at the side of the street. He had seldom been so glad to get home. A long day spent realizing how weakened he still was, as he found himself unable to finish his usual workout. A day full of pitying and curious glances, eyes quickly averted, everyone wondering what those bandages were hiding. 

At least he could be alone for the night, no one to stare at him, no one to feel sorry for him. Except himself. With a sigh, Eric told himself to stop this mental whining, get inside, get some sleep, and get on with it. Things could be worse... But the dark thought came again, the anger; it was _their_ fault, the Rangers were responsible for this. Even Wes. He told himself it wasn't fair, but he was in no mood for fairness this night. 

He was standing at his door, reaching for his keys, when it happened. A movement, quick and silent; he had been too tired to be fully alert, just caught it out of the corner of his eye when it was already too late. No time to cry out as he was grabbed from behind, as he got the impression of an impossibly strong arm around him, pinning his own arms to his sides, a white hand coming up, holding a cloth over his face, the unmistakable smell of chloroform, before everything tilted and darkened into blackness. 

* * *

TBC... 


	11. Choices

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Choices

* * *

There were sounds. Voices. Unfamiliar ones. And what were voices doing in his bedroom? He hadn't slept with anyone in… too long. Eric cracked his eyes open, wincing at bright light. But it wasn't his bedroom he saw. Instead he was in a small room with dark walls and ceiling, lying on something harder than his bed. A couch of some kind, too small to be comfortable. He closed his eyes again in a moment of disorientation as a memory came back, standing outside his door, something -- someone -- grabbing him… 

"Look, he's awake." It was a woman's voice. 

"Good." 

Eric looked up at the source of the voices and tensed in surprise and sudden fear, then pushed himself up, trying to get away, stopped by a wave of dizziness. A tall man with very white skin was crossing the room towards him. A strong-looking man, bald, his hands a little too big to be human, his fingers a little too long. The same mutant he had last seen when Commander Porter died. 

"How do you feel?" he was asking. 

"Where is this? What am I doing here?" Eric tried again, and made it to his feet by propping himself on the end of the couch. 

"You're in a prison ship. Ransik's headquarters. My name is Conwing." The mutant had stopped several feet away. 

"What do you want?" 

"Don't worry. I mean you no harm. At least not tonight. Sit down, you don't look well." 

"I'd rather stay where I am." 

"Suit yourself." Conwing pulled a chair over and sat. 

Eric risked a good look at the third person in the room. A woman, attractive, with bright pink hair. She smiled at him and said, "My name's Nadira. Ransik's my father." 

"I remember you. You were robbing a store." 

"Yes. And you shot at me." She pouted prettily. 

"I'll ask again. What do you want with me?" 

"All right. This may take a while. You really should sit down." This time Eric took his advice, moving a step and sinking down on the end of the couch, as far away as he could get. Conwing smiled, an expression that did nothing to relieve Eric's fears, and continued. "We have a slight -- problem. And so do you. Nadira and I were hoping we could help each other." 

"What problem?" 

"We want the supply of serum Bio-Lab manufactured." 

"Why?" 

"That's not your concern. We want it." 

"Where's Ransik?" 

Conwing's eyes narrowed. "That's also not your concern. And we want your help against the Rangers." 

"The Rangers?" 

Conwing smiled again. "I've seen you with them. You don't like them, do you? I saw you with the red Ranger, when we fought in the city. He called you by name. You know each other. And then I saw you quarrel with the Rangers in the park, before you were injured." 

"You were watching?" 

"Yes. You were arguing with the Quantum Ranger." His black eyes didn't quite hide a bright gleam of interest. "It looked like the same man. But maybe not. All humans look alike to me." 

Eric saw no reason to say that he was sure the man in the park had not been Wes. He said only, "Go on." 

"We want you to tell us who they are. Where they live. What their plans are. Anything else you know about them." 

"What makes you think I'd help _you?_" 

"For one thing, we know where you live. And where you work. Refuse and…" He smiled frostily, flexing those long, strong-looking fingers. "But there should be no need to resort to such things. As I said, we can help each other." His eyes focused on Eric's face. "I know what Venomark's bite can do. You'll have scars, won't you? The Rangers could have healed those wounds without leaving a mark. But they chose to let you suffer." 

Eric raised a hand to his face, almost without realizing it. "What are you talking about?" 

"Medical technology in our time is much more advanced than yours. They have equipment that could make those injuries only a memory, in minutes. So do we." Eric only stared, his mind blanking with surprise. Conwing's smile deepened. "So. They didn't tell you. Of course, they wouldn't want to trust a mere native of this time. Yes, we're all from your future. Two hundred years, to be exact." 

"The future…" Eric stared at him, and then at Nadira. It made sense. Amazing no one had figured it out. The weapons, the suits. The mutants. People had said they were from outer space, a few had said they were from the future. Eric had never taken any of it seriously. 

"They don't belong here, any more than we do," Conwing was saying, leaning forward a little, his voice intense. "In my time, mutants are persecuted, imprisoned. Ransik freed a few of us, and we escaped through time, hoping to find a safe place here, to live out our lives in peace. But the Rangers pursued us. They won't rest until they've killed or captured all of us. They're not the great heroes they pretend to be." 

"But -- you've attacked people. She-" he nodded at Nadira, "stole things. That's why the Guardians were formed, to protect the city." 

"I just wanted a few pretty things. And I couldn't just walk in and buy them, the humans always start running and yelling when they see me," Nadira said. "I'm sorry, I know it was wrong." 

"We had to survive. Had to take what we need, had to defend ourselves," Conwing said softly. "Wouldn't any human do the same?" 

"You killed Commander Porter." 

"I regret that. It wasn't intentional." The mutant's eyes were cool. Nadira's head bent, hiding an expression that had seemed uncomfortable. 

Suddenly Conwing moved, rising from the chair and stepping forward with inhuman speed, bending over the couch before Eric could react. His hand darted out and pulled at the bandage, his other hand wrapping around Eric's neck as he tried to jerk away. In another second the bandage had been peeled off, and the mutant's eyes were staring. Eric tried to twist free again, angry, helpless, and feeling somehow shamed. 

"As I thought. With only the medical treatment of this time, you'll be disfigured. But we could change that. You could look normal again. If you help us." He let go and stepped back. 

Nadira came closer as Eric picked up the bandage and replaced it as best he could. "Please get us that serum, Mr. Myers. My daddy would be grateful. And so would I. _Very_ grateful." She leaned over him, low enough to give him an excellent view of her cleavage, smiling as his eyes dropped, then jerked back up to her face. 

"Yes. We have resources," Conwing said, his voice soft and smooth. "You're a Silver Guardian; the Rangers are your rivals. Your enemies. I saw you on the television, talking about them. You don't like what they're doing. You don't trust them. We could get rid of them for you. Help your career. Money, power… you could have it all. You'll find we're very generous to our friends. And merciless to our enemies. All I need to know is -- which you're going to be." He gestured towards the door. "Don't decide now. I'll return you to your home. Think about it." 

Twenty minutes later, Eric felt the car he was in slow and come to a stop. He blinked as the blindfold tied over his eyes was roughly pulled off. They were parked in front of his house, Conwing sitting in the driver's seat, watching him. Eric glanced at the mutant and reached for the door lock. 

"Not so fast." The voice was soft, but the fingers that closed around the back of his neck were hard, gripping just tightly enough to reach the edge of pain. They held him there, unmoving, almost unbreathing, as Conwing leaned close to him. "I could break your neck with a twitch of my fingers, human," he murmured in Eric's ear. "And I can find you, even if you try to run. Remember that." He released his grip, chuckling as Eric fumbled with the door and lurched out. 

And then he was alone, with only the sound of the car fading into the suburban night, a slight breeze brushing his hair and stirring the branches above him, and the pounding of his own heart. It all seemed so normal, for a moment the last hour seemed like only a strange dream. But he knew it wasn't. 

He had a problem. Briefly he considered asking for help... but who? The Rangers, who hadn't had the decency to help him when he was injured? No, he had to face this alone. Make this decision. A decision that could change his life. Or end it. 

* * *

Wes yawned and then frowned, squinting at his task. He had never been a morning person. But sleepiness wasn't his only problem today. He was distracted by his own thoughts, ones that were foreign to his normally happy and optimistic nature. Thoughts that seemed to come more frequently lately. Ever since Alex had arrived. 

He tried to shake off the mood and get back to work. While repairing mechanical devices was usually Trip's job, he was busy with other things this morning, and Wes had volunteered to fix the VCR one of their clients had brought in. It was an easy job, just a matter of taking the cover off and untangling the tape that had gotten stuck inside, and then cleaning it. Such a simple thing, and yet satisfying, turning something broken and useless back into a functioning piece of equipment. Finished, Wes put the cover back on and leaned his elbows on the worktable. 

He was in the back of the 'Nick of Time' shop, where he could see and hear if any customers came in. Bright sunlight slanted in through a window in the storefront. It was quiet, except for the soft sounds of traffic in the street outside. For a few moments he drifted in thought. 

Light footsteps tapped on the stairs leading up to their clock tower home. He recognized them at once. The same person he had been thinking about. As he turned to look, Jen appeared at the doorway, smiling, but Wes could see the strain underneath. She always looked that way now. Tense, and sad. Ever since Alex showed up... 

"Hi." She stood looking at him, seeming a little awkward. 

"Hi, yourself. What's up?" 

"Nothing." But her expression said otherwise. Then she sighed. "Wes, can I talk to you?" 

"Sure." He leaned over to pull another chair closer to the table, and watched her sit down. 

Jen smiled again briefly. "I was just talking to Alex," she said. 

"So that's why you look upset," Wes couldn't help commenting. 

"I'm not upset. It's just that he pointed something out." She took a deep breath. "We have a problem. That anti-Venomark serum wasn't meant to be invented for another hundred years. Our giving it to Bio-Lab may have unpredictable effects later on." 

"But Alex agreed that we had no choice. We couldn't let all those people die." 

"I know. But now, we need to try to repair the damage. Or prevent it." She raised her eyes to his face. "We need for Bio-Lab to give it up. Not do any research on it. Destroy the supply they have. Especially not let Ransik get hold of it, since he seems to need it." 

Wes looked away from her, imagining what his father's reaction would be. "How come Alex didn't talk to me himself?" he asked. "I thought _he_ was our fearless leader now." 

"He thought it would be better for me to do it. And I guess he was right, from the way you talk about him. You don't like him." 

"I -- I don't like the way he just blew in here and took over. You were doing a great job. He didn't have any right to take command that way." 

"He had _every_ right. He's my superior officer." 

"But we know _you_! We're used to working with you. He's just -- messing everything up. And look what's happened since he got here. That Silver Guardians' commander got killed. Eric got hurt. It's not like he's done such a great job." 

"None of those things were his fault." 

"I don't know why you're defending him," Wes grumbled. "You should be angry at him more than the rest of us. Even the way he treats _you_..." 

"That's between Alex and me." But she didn't look at him, her eyes down, looking at her hands, twisting together in her lap. 

"Jen -- Jen, you don't have to put up with the shit he gives you... I could..." 

"Wes, no." She met his gaze now, and a moment of understanding passed between them, as Wes knew she had seen into his heart, his feelings for her. As he read some strong emotion in her face, whether love, or only affection and sympathy, he couldn't quite tell, and couldn't quite bring himself to ask. Not that he didn't want to, he wanted that more than anything, to know if he had a chance. But he had no right. Not to come between a woman and the man she was still engaged to. 

He stood up. "I'll talk to my Dad," he said dully. "See what I can do." 

"Good." Her voice stopped him as he took a step towards the door. "Wes, please don't be too hard on Alex. He's just trying to do the right thing. Like all of us. I guess -- right now he doesn't know how. And he..." She hesitated as he turned back. "It's tough for him, dealing with you. His double. Using his morpher." 

_And in love with his girl..._ Wes smiled ruefully. "I know. It's weird for me, too. I'll try harder." _For you, not for him,_ he added silently. 

* * *

He was still in a bad mood when he walked into Bio-Lab and headed for his father's office, hardly looking where he was going. Preoccupied with his thoughts of Jen and a growing anxiety over the confrontation he was sure this conversation would turn into, he turned a corner and saw a navy-blue uniform just in time to avoid running into its wearer. 

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a rough voice snapped at him. 

"Sorry," Wes said automatically and started to move on. But recognition stopped him at the sight of the other man's bandaged face. He put out a hand to stop him as he turned away. 

Eric shook it off, and gave him a cold glare. "What are you doing here?" he asked. 

"Seeing my father." 

Another cold look. "Running to Daddy again, huh? What's the matter? Having problems with your twin?" 

"My... what are you talking about?" 

"Come off it, I know that wasn't you in the park. Who the hell was he?" 

Wes stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Look, I'd rather you didn't say anything about him." He frowned as Eric only gave him a mocking half smile. "But I guess you don't care." 

"Why the hell should I?" 

"Yeah, you wouldn't. But don't expect any of us to tell you anything. You obviously can't be trusted." 

"That's right, rich boy," Eric said as Wes started past him again. "As if you've given me any reason to trust _you_. Not when your friends couldn't be bothered to help me." 

There was something subtle under the hostility in Eric's voice, something bleak and almost forlorn that made Wes turn back again. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you," he said, avoiding the sharp dark eyes on him, adding, "If I'd been there -- well, I would have tried to help." 

"Yeah, right. When you think I'm scum." 

"I don't... That's not true." He raised his eyes to meet Eric's. "We were friends once, weren't we? I wish we could get along now." 

Maybe the underlying unhappiness in his voice got through somehow. Or maybe not. Eric only stared at him for a few seconds, his lips tightening before he turned and walked quickly away. Wes watched him go, glumly deciding his day was rapidly progressing from bad to worse, before starting on his way again. 

In moments he was facing the familiar office door. Seeing the receptionist nod, knocking, turning the knob. Walking inside. It had been a week since he had been here. Now Wes regretted that he hadn't come back or visited home, realized that he hadn't made any effort to see his father again after getting his help with making the serum. The first time they were seeing each other again, and again he wanted something. 

But if his father was displeased, it didn't show. He was on his feet, taking a few steps, his hand held out. "Wes! Great to see you. How are you?" he asked, smiling warmly. 

"I'm fine, Dad. How are you?" 

"Great." He took a closer look. "But I think you didn't come just to say hello. What's wrong, son?" 

Wes took a breath. "Dad, it's the serum." 

Collins' face brightened in a smile again. "That serum is fascinating, Wes. Our scientists have started working on it, and already Dr. Zaskin says they see a lot of possibilities..." he trailed off, staring at Wes's expression. 

"Dad, that's the problem. You can't research that serum. You have to get rid of it. Destroy what's left, and destroy whatever records you have on it." 

"What? Oh, but Wes..." Collins gave him a look full of discomfort, disbelief, denial. "That serum could mean a lot to Bio-Lab. And now you're asking me to give it up?" 

"I'm sorry. But yes, I am." 

"I'm sorry, son, but..." 

"You have to, Dad. The serum doesn't belong to you. You can't use it." 

"Where did it come from? Who _does_ it belong to?" 

"I can't tell you that." 

"Look..." Collins gave him another uneasy stare before sitting behind his desk, putting the barriers of wood and distance between them. "If you won't tell me anything, how do you expect me to take this seriously?" He paused, as Wes found himself without an answer. "I'm sorry, but unless there's some legal reason, unless someone has a patent on it and can prove ownership, we're going to keep working on that serum." 

"Dad, please." 

"I'm sorry," his father repeated softly. "You're my son. But business is business." 

"Business. That's what it always comes down to for you, isn't it?" Wes shot him an angry glare, not stopping to care at the fleeting expression of pain he saw, before starting for the door. 

* * *

It was just starting to get dark when he got home. Eric hesitated for a moment as he reached his front door, almost expecting someone to be waiting to attack him again. But he was surrounded only by the quiet of a normal night. With an effort, he got a grip on his jumping nerves and turned the key in the lock. 

By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late. After locking the door, he flipped on the light. Turned away from the door. And froze in shock and a momentary flash of fear that almost made him break and run, until the instinct for survival that had kept him alive in dangerous situations before steadied him, suddenly leaving him as calm, cool, and rational as if the tall, white form of Conwing was not sitting casually on his living room sofa. 

"What the hell are you doing breaking into my house?" he demanded. 

Conwing smiled in that chilly way of his. "Very good. You have more courage than I expected from a human," he said. "And you'll be pleased to know I broke nothing, only picked your lock." 

"I'll have to get a new locksmith." 

The mutant's black eyes were suddenly hard and cold. "You've had a day to think about our proposition. I need an answer." 

Eric met his gaze, feeling his stomach lurch. This was it. He hadn't been expecting it quite so soon, but it made no difference. He knew he would have made the same decision, no matter when. The only possible decision, the only one that would let him face himself in the mirror... even if it meant teaming up with people he disliked and distrusted. Pulling his courage together, he said, "All right. I'll do what you want. But you have to fix my face when this is over. And I want money." 

"Of course." Conwing's face was blank now. 

"Okay. What exactly do you want me to do?" 

* * *

TBC... 


	12. Cross

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Cross

* * *

Eric stood there looking at the door for what seemed like a long time. It was the morning of a clear, bright, new day, the morning after his second meeting with Conwing. After he had agreed to betray the Rangers and everyone in Silver Hills. The morning when he had to put his plan into motion. This was the first step. He didn't expect it to be pleasant, but it had to be done. For a moment he wondered if he was making a mistake, choosing the wrong side. But there could be no backing out now. 

With a quick motion he pushed the shop door open, and stepped inside. It was dark by contrast with the bright sunlight outside, and it took him a moment to see the man inside clearly. Wes was looking up at him from a chair behind a counter, his face revealing surprise and more than a hint of dismay, before he visibly controlled his first reaction and smiled tentatively. At least the others didn't seem to be around; dealing with Wes was going to be tough enough. 

"Eric?" 

"Yeah. Surprised to see me, huh?" 

"Well, yeah, frankly. What's up?" 

Wes's smile looked a little forced, and his voice was unenthusiastic. But it occurred to Eric that all in all he was getting a friendlier greeting than he had expected. Maybe more friendly than he deserved, some small voice inside him added. 

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to be talking to," he said. "And I'd rather not be here, too. But I don't have a choice." 

"Go on." 

* * *

"He should be setting it up right now." Conwing smiled. 

Nadira watched him. While she didn't like Conwing, and felt her father's absence keenly, she had to admit she was grateful to him for taking over, for making her feel that there was still a chance to get Ransik back and finish their plan. Otherwise they would have had to return to their own time. 

Without Ransik, they simply didn't have the resources to continue. The cyclobots had been programmed to obey Ransik and Frax. Their robotic former ally had taken most of them with him when he deserted. And without her father to command them, she and Conwing were alone, with nothing to back them up. 

If anyone could manage victory under these circumstances, it was Conwing. But he wasn't Ransik. He couldn't make her believe that he could do anything, against the most impossible odds, the way Ransik could... She turned her eyes to the small container that held her father. How could he have done this, she thought forlornly, left her alone this way? If only they could go home... 

* * *

Eric couldn't help staring. The guy really was Wes's double, except for the hair. Seeing the two of them side by side was almost creepy. He was still feeling it as Wes introduced them. 

"Eric Myers, this is Alex." 

"What are you, twins or something?" 

"No." Wes's lips twitched in what might have been a smile, the darker version of him only stared with a stony expression. They might look alike, Eric realized, but the resemblance was strictly on the surface. 

"What's he doing here?" Alex asked. "Why did you get _me_ here?" He seemed increasingly angry. 

"Eric has some information for us. He wanted to talk to you." 

"What the hell were you thinking? You know I don't want anyone seeing me!" 

"He already knows about you, Alex! I just said he asked for you!" 

"Well, if he didn't know for sure before, he does now." He glared at Wes, then at Eric. "I suppose it's too much to ask that you keep this a secret." 

"Depends on what the secret is. I might already know more than you think." 

"What does _that_ mean?" 

"Nothing." Eric pushed back his own anger. He was here for a purpose, one that didn't include getting into an argument. "Look, I have to talk to you." 

* * *

"Do you really think it'll work?" Nadira asked, hearing the trembling of her own voice. "Do you think we can get Daddy back?" 

"It's a chance we have to take." Conwing looked at her, his face softening slightly in unexpected sympathy. "I've observed Eric Myers. If I'm any judge of human character, he's a very bitter and angry man. Especially now. His life has been empty and full of struggle. He desires money, power, and admiration. All very useful qualities, to us. A disfigured face now threatens whatever ambitions he has, and he'd be willing to do a great deal to look normal again." He smiled at her. "Not to mention the incentive _you_ offered." 

She grimaced, although the prospect wasn't entirely unpleasant, at least if his face was fixed first. "But will he really turn against the Rangers? He's human, after all." 

"And he saw me kill his commander. He won't trust us. But he fears me, and with good reason. I already took him by surprise twice, in his home. He knows I could easily kill him at any time." He chuckled softly. "As you said, he's human, and cowardly. He's much too afraid of death not to do what I want." 

"So he's supposed to get the Quantum Ranger alone." 

"Yes. Set up a meeting, make up some excuse. Get the Ranger away from the others, outside of town. Where I'll be waiting." 

* * *

"Do you really expect me to fall for this?" Alex's face had gone cold and hard, making him look even more unlike Wes. "You come here, trying to set up a meeting out in the middle of nowhere... How do I know you haven't got Ransik and an army of cyclobots waiting for me?" 

"I told you..." 

"I know what you said." He gave Eric another cold look. "None of us have any reason to trust you, especially after the way you already betrayed us." 

"I told Wes's father the truth about him! His own father! That's all I did, damn it!" 

"Perhaps. But you did it for yourself, didn't you? You thought your employer would be grateful." Alex took a step closer, his voice softer but vibrating with hostility. "Maybe grateful enough to give you command of the Guardians, right? But he offered it to Wes instead. Something like that could make you pretty angry, couldn't it?" 

"I'm telling you the truth, goddamn it! I'm trying to help! But if you're too much of an asshole to listen, then just go to hell!" Eric shot back a matching glare, spun, and headed for the door. 

* * *

"Why the Quantum Ranger?" 

A look of impatience crossed Conwing's white face. "The Quantum morpher is controlled by his voice, but he can release the lock with a command. Then it could be used by someone else. The other morphers are locked to their wearers' genetic codes. There's no way to unlock them without a Time Force laboratory." 

"So... you're going to take the Quantum morpher?" 

"Yes. Imagine it. I'll be a Ranger." He smiled. "All that power, and the Q-Rex... combined with my natural fighting abilities. I'll be a match for all five of the others. Eric hasn't told me where they live, yet, but he will. Then we'll be rid of them for good." 

"And... and we'll get Daddy out of that horrible freezing unit, won't we?" 

"Of course." Conwing reached a hand to draw his fingers lightly over her shoulder. Nadira flinched slightly, but forced herself to smile, hoping he hadn't noticed. He gave no sign, but dropped his hand back to his side and went on. "Eric will bring the serum, and then Ransik will be back. With him to get the cyclobots under control, we'll be unstoppable." 

"The Quantum Ranger won't want to give up his morpher. How are you going to make him do it?" 

"I have a few ideas." Conwing smiled gently. "In fact, I'm looking forward to it." 

Nadira shuddered inwardly. 

* * *

"Eric, wait up!" 

Eric turned to see Wes hurrying down the sidewalk after him. He looked away, stopped next to his car and dug in his pocket for his keys, pulling them out and stabbing them at the door. 

"Would you wait for one minute?" 

"What the hell for? I should have known none of you jerks would listen to me." 

"_I_ listened." 

"All of you think I'm just lowlife trailer trash, don't you?" He swung around, taking a step to put his face aggressively in Wes's. "I fought for my country, damn it! Risked my life to do it! I'm a Silver Guardian, I go up against those damn mutants without your friggin' fancy suits and weapons! And look what I've gotten for it!" He gestured at his bandaged face. "Your buddies showed up, won't tell anyone where they really came from and what they're after! Wouldn't help me when that freak mutant bit me! Won't help me now, when they're after me! And that -- that bastard has the balls to say _he_ doesn't trust _me_?" 

"Eric, calm down..." 

"What the hell for? Shit, why am I wasting my time?" He turned back to the car, fumbling with the keys again, too angry to see straight. 

"Look, I believe you." 

"What?" 

"I believe what you told us. I want to help." 

"Well, I don't need your help!" 

He felt a hand grasp his arm and yanked away furiously. But Wes stepped closer, getting between him and the car door. "Please. I know Alex is a jerk," he said. "But you still want this to work, don't you?" 

Eric took a breath. He'd love to shove Wes's help right back in his rich-boy face... But he couldn't afford that satisfaction, not when his life, and more, depended on it. He began to feel a little prickle of guilt as he looked more closely at the blond man's open and sympathetic expression. Then he remembered that other face that looked so similar. 

"Well... but Alex won't cooperate. What can you do?" he asked. 

"I'll make sure Alex is there tonight. One way or another." Wes smiled. "Trust me." 

* * *

"Wish me luck." Conwing glanced at her as he strapped on his belt, quickly checking his blaster and teleporter. "It's getting dark, and I intend to get there early. Make sure the other Rangers aren't setting a trap." 

"Good luck." Nadira tried to smile. "Should I get the medical unit ready?" 

"Why? Do you expect me to be injured?" 

"Well, you're going to fix Eric's face, aren't you?" 

He chuckled, giving her an amused look. "You don't really think I'm going to leave him alive after he's no longer useful to us, do you? My dear, you're so... innocent." His black eyes lingered on her, the expression in them changing, to something that sent a chill through her. "But I suppose that's part of your charm." He reached towards her, touching her face. It took all of Nadira's self-control not to push his hand away as he stroked her cheek and trailed his long fingers through a few strands of her hair. "After we revive Ransik," he said softly, "he'll be grateful... he'd even give me his daughter..." 

"He's not giving you anything!" she exclaimed, stepping back. "I'm not a piece of property!" 

"We'll see. You could do a lot worse than me, Nadira. When we're in power, I'll be second only to your father... and I'll _take_ what I want..." With a flash of hot black eyes, he was gone. 

Afterwards, she sat in silence, staring at the small, cold container in which her father was trapped. Two images struggled in her mind. Ransik's face, as she had last seen it, wracked with pain. And Conwing's, the way he had looked at her tonight, the purpose that was so clear in his eyes. 

"Forgive me, Daddy," she whispered. "But I hope he never comes back." 

* * *

"So you won't change your mind?" 

Alex looked up at his double's face, which was staring at him coldly, surprising him with the determination in it. Not like the spoiled child he thought Wes was, not at all. "That's right," he answered. "I don't trust Eric. This could be a trap." 

"But maybe it's not. How are we supposed to win if you won't take a chance?" 

"There's a difference between a calculated risk and a foolish one." 

"Fine." Wes took a step back from where Alex was seated on the sofa in the clock tower main room. "Fine. You win. As usual." With a last contemptuous glance, he walked away. 

Alex stared at the television glumly for several minutes, acutely aware of Jen watching him from her seat on the other end of the couch. Finally he couldn't take it any longer. "I suppose you're going to tell me I'm wrong, too," he said softly. 

"No. I understand why you made the decision. But..." 

"What?" 

"Permission to speak freely, sir." 

He sighed. "Jen, you don't need permission. Say what you want to say." 

"Okay. Eric might be telling the truth. I think we should at least check it out. It could be an opportunity to end this." 

"Plus you think Wes is right. You always take his side." He regretted it as soon as he said it, hearing how childish it sounded. 

She took a moment to answer. "In this case, I think you're both wrong. Wes is a little too trusting. You're right to be suspicious. But even if this is a trap, we could use it to our advantage. You could scout ahead with the Eagle. We've got our scanners. We can go in knowing exactly what we're up against." 

She was right. He smiled at her ruefully. "You were always a good tactician." 

She smiled back, brilliantly. The same smile she used to give him every day, almost every time she saw him. The smile that he had fallen in love with... He looked away quickly, then forced himself to control his face. 

"Well. Let's get Wes and the others, and plan this out," he said. "We're going to have to hurry -- contact Eric, tell him to go ahead..." 

Jen was already standing, her smile fading as she peered around the large room. "Guys, where's Wes?" she called. 

"Beats me," Lucas answered. Katie shrugged. 

They spent a few more minutes checking all the rooms. When Trip came back from the downstairs office, they knew. Gone. Alex shared an alarmed glance with Jen, knowing she was thinking exactly the same thing he was. "He's gone ahead with it. Alone," he murmured. 

"I can't believe he'd be that foolish," Jen said. "He'll contact us." 

"I hope you're right." 

* * *

Eric waited, trying not to let the darkness, the emptiness, and the silence get to him. It was so damn quiet out here. Always hated the countryside. Never realized how nice concrete and brick were, until he was surrounded by nothing but trees. Along with crickets, and what sounded like a coyote howling... or maybe a wolf... He felt suddenly and painfully alone. 

To distract himself, he checked the tube he held again. Bright blue liquid, the color barely visible in the moonlight. Straight from Bio-Lab. And his Guardian blaster; he dropped his other hand to touch it again. He'd be needing it soon. 

Of course, Conwing was probably here, somewhere. He looked around, turning in a circle, trying to see where the big mutant could be hiding. There were several trees nearby, bushes, a few large boulders. He could be anywhere, watching and listening, just waiting to jump out. Eric shivered, suddenly fearful, realizing exactly how many things could go wrong. 

But it was too late. He heard an engine. Alex, come to meet him. He stood watching as a streamlined motorcycle pulled up, the headlights making him blink and shield his eyes before they switched off. A man's shadowy form got off. Alex, walking up to him, light glimmering momentarily off his dark hair. 

"Eric. Here I am." The voice was loud in the still air. 

"Right on time. Good." 

"Of course." 

Eric licked his lips, trying not to let his tension show. "I'm a little surprised you decided to show up," he said more softly. 

"I promised, didn't I?" 

"Promised?" 

"Never mind that. What do you have for me?" he asked. 

"Nothing much. It's a surprise." 

"Well, don't keep me waiting." 

"He won't. I'm right here." They both turned at the sound of the new voice. Conwing stepped into view from behind a clump of bushes and rocks. In his hand was a blaster. It was pointed at Alex. "Don't move," he said coolly. "Don't even open your mouth. Hold your arms out. Eric, take his morpher." 

"What is this? Eric?" 

"Just do it." 

Alex paused, and then obeyed, facing Conwing, stretching his arms out to the sides. Behind him, Eric moved a step and reached slowly for his left wrist. But... the morpher he saw was rounded, oval, not angular, it looked like the one he had seen on... 

_Wes?_ Eric barely kept himself from saying it aloud. His startled glance snapped to Wes's face, meeting his eyes, and seeing him nod almost invisibly. 

Forcing himself past his surprise, Eric pulled out his blaster. "I have a better idea," he said as he brought it up and pulled the trigger in one swift movement. A bright beam lanced out, hitting Wes squarely in the back. Eric watched as he dropped silently to the ground and stared down at him for a moment, and then looked up at Conwing's chilling smile. 

* * *

TBC... 


	13. Double Cross

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Double Cross

* * *

"Excellent. You make a good traitor." 

Eric looked at Conwing's face sharply, restraining his anger at the mutant's mocking words. He nudged Wes with his foot. "He'll be unconscious for at least an hour. I've done my part," he said curtly. "Now I expect you to do yours." 

"Of course. Taking care of you is first on my list." 

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." 

"Just an expression. Where's the serum?" 

Eric pulled the vial of blue liquid from the pocket where he had hidden it. He held it up. "What do you want with this stuff, anyway?" he asked. 

"That's none of your affair." Conwing came forward, holding his hand out. "Where's the rest of it?" 

"Where I'm the only one who can find it. Just as a little insurance." Eric fell back, circling away from Wes, holding the vial tightly against his chest. "I've decided to add something to my price. Information. If I'm selling out, I want to know what for. Why do you want this so much?" 

Conwing started for him again, then stopped as Eric abruptly turned to hold the fragile tube over a rock at his feet. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled. 

"Attack me and I drop it. Kill me and you'll never get more. And I don't think you'll find anyone else to do your dirty work." Eric shot him a hard glare, and then softened it. "Look, I'm curious. I want to know what's going on here. Maybe I could -- get more involved. Do you a few more favors." 

"And get more rewards, I suppose?" 

"Well, yeah." 

Conwing seemed to relax, slipping his blaster back into his belt, a contemptuous smile appearing on his pale face. "You really _are_ greedy, aren't you?" 

"I have to take care of myself. No one else is going to," Eric said harshly. "All my life, no one's ever cared about me. Why should I give a shit about this city, or anyone in it? Damn right, I want to get what I can out of this." 

"Don't be defensive. I can understand your attitude. Almost respect it." He nodded decisively. "Very well. We need the serum to cure Ransik. He was bitten by Venomark years ago, but there is no permanent cure for him. The serum is the only thing that can keep him alive." 

"I figured it was something like that. He got sick in the park, when I was attacked. Just like all those people Venomark infected. But he had the serum with him. Did you run out of it or something?" 

"No." Conwing crossed his arms. "Frax destroyed the supply." 

"Frax? Why?" 

"An old grudge between them. It turned out Frax has waited all this time for revenge. He destroyed all the serum we had. We were forced to put Ransik in cryogenic storage to save his life. We need more serum before we can revive him, and thanks to you, we'll get it." 

"Where _is_ Frax? Is he going to fight against Ransik now?" 

"We don't know." For the first time, discomfort crossed Conwing's face. "He's unpredictable. And dangerous. He built the cyclobots, and they obey only him and Ransik." 

"So you need Ransik so you can use the cyclobots. I wondered why you were so loyal." 

"Clever. But you're wrong. Even mutant scum like me can be genuinely loyal. Ransik is the greatest mutant leader of our time. If anyone can free us from the tyranny of humans, he can." Conwing smiled again. "This has been amusing, but I really must be going. Give me the vial." 

"Sure. Catch." Eric tossed it to him. 

Conwing caught it and frowned. "Careless human! You could have broken it! Well, I suppose it doesn't matter." He tucked it in his belt and started forward. "Now you'll tell me where the rest of it is. And where the Rangers live." 

"Not yet." Eric backed off. 

"Yes, you will. I'm out of patience, human. When I'm done with you, you'll be happy to tell -- you'll beg me to let you tell, if only I'll stop." He reached out, grabbing Eric's wrist, murmuring, "Did you think what happened to your face was bad? Just wait..." 

There was a sudden flash of light, followed immediately by a voice shouting, "Leave him alone!" 

Conwing whirled. Wes was no longer lying in the dusty road, instead the red Ranger stood there, summoning his blaster before the mutant could move. Eric pulled out of his grip and stepped back. 

"Ranger! What is this!?" 

"Put your hands up!" Wes took a step forward. 

"Give it up, Conwing," Eric said, his own blaster aimed and ready. 

The mutant shot him a glance of pure hatred and fury, sending a tingle of fear through him. "So. This was all a trap," he snarled. 

"You got it. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a traitor." 

"I saw you shoot him." 

Eric nodded at his blaster. "The engineers at Bio-Lab rigged it up to shoot a harmless beam of light at the lowest setting. I shot him to make sure _you_ wouldn't. And in case you're wondering, that tube of serum is fake." 

"And you tricked me into telling you what you wanted to know." 

"Yeah. I figured you were planning on killing me, so you'd be willing to talk." 

Conwing shot another glance at Wes. "You're not even the Quantum Ranger." 

"Right again. Us looking alike came in handy, all it took was a little spray-on hair dye. Hope you're not too disappointed." 

"Only the two of you against _me_? You're much too confident." He moved fast, inhumanly fast, reaching for his blaster with eye-blurring speed. But it wasn't fast enough. An energy beam struck Conwing's shoulder, another hit his weapon before he could aim. He grunted with pain, dropped the blaster, clutched his arm, and fell to one knee. 

"Ready to surrender? Or do you want more?" There was movement in the shadows under the trees around them. Five more forms came forward, the moonlight revealing them as the Quantum, pink, blue, green, and yellow Rangers. They came closer and spread out, seven blasters now aimed at Conwing. He watched them silently. 

"I called them just before I got here," Wes said. There was a slightly sarcastic note in his voice as he went on. "I'm not _totally_ stupid." 

"Don't move," Alex said, ignoring the remark. "We can blast you before you transport. You'll be dead when you get there." 

"I suppose I'm beaten. Very well, I know how to accept defeat." 

"Good." Alex straightened a little. "Trip, arrest him." 

The green Ranger touched his morpher, and his blaster disappeared, a small round container materializing in its place. He moved forward. "Conwing, you're under-" he started. 

But Conwing moved again, so fast none of them reacted before it was too late. Eric saw him uncoil from the ground, leaping straight at him, covering the ground between them in a heartbeat. Instinctively he jumped back, brought up his weapon, the shot going wild as the mutant brushed it aside. A white, long-fingered hand reached for his throat -- he twisted back and to the side, barely avoiding it, blocking a blow with his arm, then seeing a flash of motion, feeling a hard impact on the wounded side of his face, and Conwing's hand clawing at him. There was a burst of crackling light, a tingling shock of energy ran through him, and he was falling, hitting the ground, crushing weight on top of him as he heard Wes's voice shouting his name. 

* * *

"Eric! No!" Wes knew it was too late as he and the others started forward, not daring to shoot when they might hit Eric. Helpless, he saw as Conwing struck out, as they struggled for a moment, then as the Guardian staggered under a hard blow, the mutant grabbing at him. A beam shot past, Alex, he realized, hitting Conwing with impressive precision, leaving him jerking convulsively and collapsing on top of Eric. 

Kneeling, reaching a hand out, he asked breathlessly, "Are you all right?" 

A pale, strained, bloody face turned up to him, but the voice was strong enough as Eric shoved violently at Conwing and exclaimed, "How the fuck do you think I am? Get him _off_ me!" 

"I see you're not too injured to be rude." The voice came from above them. Wes twisted to see Jen standing over them, touching her morpher to dematerialize her blaster. Lucas and Katie came forward and lifted Conwing off. Eric rolled to one elbow and then sat up slowly, covering the side of his face with his hand. 

"You're bleeding. Let me see," Wes said, reaching for his wrist and trying to pull the hand away. 

"Shit," Eric snarled, still breathing hard. "Every time I'm around you guys, I end up getting hurt. Just get the hell away from me." 

"Jesus, shut up and let me see." Wes pulled harder, easily overcoming Eric's resistance with his Ranger-enhanced strength, then let go, stunned, as the hand came away and he got his first good look. Conwing had pulled the bandage off in the struggle, and he had hit Eric hard enough to open the wounds again. There was blood. But that wasn't the bad part. 

Eric's cheek was scored with deep cuts, cross-hatched with stitches. The flesh was reddened and thickened. The skin over the side of his jaw was worse, it had been torn apart and patched back together, and looked distorted, warped... Wes felt his stomach lurch. He heard a gasp behind him, and a murmur of shock. 

Eric glared at all of them in the sudden silence, and pressed his hand back to his face. "Happy now? Disgusting, isn't it?" he asked, sounding angry, but Wes saw the slight tremble of his mouth. 

"God, Eric, we had no idea," he said. Then he looked up. "Or did we? Did you guys know...?" 

"When Venomark bit someone, it acted like a chemical burn... but it was so long ago, for us, and we had the right treatments, no one ended up like _this_..." 

"Trip!" Alex said softly but very firmly. Trip gulped and was quiet. 

"Did _you_ know?" Wes asked again, looking at Alex. He got only stony silence in answer. Standing up, he put a hand down to Eric. "Come on." 

"Wes, what are you going to do?" Jen asked. 

"We're going to help Eric." 

"How?" 

"How do you think? We're going back to the clock tower and take care of his face." 

"You know we can't do that," Alex said. 

"We can. And we will." Wes raised his arm and pressed the button on his morpher to demorph. "If you guys won't help, fine. I'll do it myself." 

"Wes, you can't..." 

"How could you let this happen!?" Wes glared at Jen, then at Alex. "I don't care what the reasons are. I'm not going to let anyone suffer like this just to keep our secrets." 

"Whether you like it or not, our mission is more important than any one man! I forbid you to take him to the clock tower!" Alex said. 

"Don't try to stop me!" 

"Alex..." Jen caught his arm as he stepped forward. "Please, I think Wes is right." 

Back on his feet now, Eric pulled away. "Keep your goddamn secrets," he growled. "I don't need help from you jerks. I'll take care of myself, just like always." 

"Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself and come on," Wes said, reaching for his arm again. "Give me your keys, I'll drive your car." 

Eric stopped, his eyes meeting Wes's, searching his face for a few long moments. Something seemed to pass between them; perhaps some spark of understanding, a realization of mutual respect, maybe even a tiny bit of gratitude on Eric's part. In any event, he muttered, "Okay," softly and followed Wes to his car. 

* * *

It was a silent drive, Wes with his eyes locked on the road, Eric sitting, turned to look out the window at the night. He had found a handkerchief, and held it to his face. As they neared the city limits, Wes saw the vectorcycles, could sense Eric's tension as his teammates followed them, slowly pulling alongside and pacing them, escorting them into town and then veering off. He knew they would find a quiet, deserted alleyway near the clock tower and demorph. 

And sure enough, they had barely climbed the stairs and reached the tower room where they all lived, when they heard the others behind them. Wes was fiddling with the wires of the medical unit, trying to remember how to use it and hoping he wouldn't make a mistake, as Alex, Jen, Trip, Lucas, and Katie walked in. He glanced at them, and then concentrated on his task again, only peripherally aware of Jen storing the cryogenic container that must now hold Conwing in shrunken form in their 'mutant trunk'. 

Trip came to stand next to him, watching for a few seconds before nudging his shoulder and saying, "Wes. Move over." 

"You're not going to stop me, Trip." 

"I'm not trying to." The green-haired young man grinned. "At the rate you're going, you'll melt the rest of his face. Let me do it." With a hidden sigh of relief, Wes got up and watched his teammate connect wires from the small, square medical unit box to tiny disks. Eric flinched as he reached out to put the first in place. "It won't hurt, don't worry," Trip said. 

"I'm not afraid." Eric's voice was steady, but his eyes rose to Wes's, holding his gaze as if for reassurance. He submitted as the contacts were placed in a pattern on the side of his face. Then Trip touched a few buttons and the box began to hum. 

As they waited, Wes saw Eric look around, taking in their surroundings. He swept the room with a glance himself, seeing for the first time in months how it must look to an outsider, with their instruments scattered over Trip's worktable, his favorite project, the electro-booster, lying in a corner, looking like a -- well -- a futuristic rifle, the chrono-communicator, their flyers in miniaturized form, even the five Time Force uniforms hanging against the wall. 

Then Eric spoke again, startling him. "I already know," he said, his voice defiant. 

"Know what?" Alex demanded. 

"That you're from the future. Two hundred years. Conwing told me, two days ago." There was more silence, this time vibrating with the aftershock of Eric's revelation. "I guess now you're going to say you have to kill me," he added. Wes looked at him sharply, wondering if he was joking. 

"No, we won't kill you," Jen said. "But we _will_ ask you to keep our secret." 

"Why? What's so important about it?" 

"Any interference with history can change the timeline," Lucas said. "Having people know about us, that means they know something about the future. It could influence what they do. Have unpredictable results." 

"It's bad enough that Ransik's causing all this damage," Katie said. "We don't want to make things worse... Please, we're helping you. Don't tell anyone about us." 

"You owe us," Alex said firmly. "I want you to promise to keep your mouth shut this time." Wes rolled his eyes, knowing it was exactly the wrong thing to say. 

"Why the hell should I _promise_?" Eric demanded. "I just risked my life to help you! And I got _this_ from one of the mutants you let escape to this time! I don't owe you anything!" 

"You don't understand." Alex's voice was surprisingly calm, his face resigned. He stared for a moment, then turned half away to gaze out the window, the sparkling lights of the city barely visible from where they stood. "None of you understands..." 

"Then why don't you enlighten us?" Jen asked. 

He seemed barely to hear as he began to speak again, softly, his voice the only sound as they all stared at him. "Ransik already succeeded in changing history. It's all gone... all of it. Our timeline, our whole reality. I saw it die... Worse, now it never existed in the first place. Do any of you have any idea of what it's like to see the world end?" Alex was facing them again. "I barely got away. Took off, opened a timehole, just as the time wave hit." 

"A time wave?" Trip gasped. 

"What's that?" Wes asked. 

"A quantum shift in reality. A sudden, explosive change from one state to a completely different one, traveling down the timeline like a wave..." Jen said quietly. "It's only theoretical..." 

"Oh, it's real, all right." Alex gave a short, bitter bark of laughter. "I _saw_ it. Time Force was gone in the blink of an eye. Silver City. Gone. Just ruins and rubble. There was -- will be -- a war, between mutants and humans. Nothing left. No one. Everything dead, just dust and bones... Even the trees and grass... Oh, God..." His face contracted, voice wavering with remembered horror. 

"Alex, why didn't you tell us?" Katie asked. 

"I know how it affected _me_. I still see it. Can't sleep, can't... Didn't want you to know..." His eyes focused on Eric again. "If you don't believe me, we can show you the video my ship recorded. Maybe then you'll see that this is important. Maybe not to you personally, but to your descendants, to everyone who comes after you. If we can't win this fight and put things back the way they were, in two hundred years the human species will be extinct, or very close to it." 

Eric met his eyes steadily. "I keep telling people, I'm not a traitor." 

It seemed to satisfy Alex. He nodded shortly and walked to the window, to stand with his back to the rest of them, looking out over the city. Wes felt a sharp pang as he saw Jen go after him and lightly touch his shoulder, then guilty satisfaction as she got no response and turned away, her head drooping dejectedly. Trip, Lucas, and Katie watched them for a moment. Then Lucas drifted across the room to sit on the couch, just staring at the floor. Katie turned away, her head bowed. Trip focused on the medical unit, blinking rapidly. Eric's face was set and grim, as he avoided Wes's eyes. Wes hunched and stared down at his own hands, sitting in silence as each of them withdrew into his or her private dark thoughts. 

* * *

They stopped at the 'Nick of Time' front door, the sounds of occasional traffic in the street outside reaching them faintly. Wes watched as Eric turned to look at him. It had taken only twenty minutes, amazingly, before Trip had disconnected the machine, and Lucas had brought a mirror. Eric had smiled then, a little, raising a hand to touch the thin red scars that were the only remaining signs of his injuries, and listened to Trip telling him that even those marks would fade soon. 

"Look, I know you stuck your neck out for me," Eric said abruptly. He hesitated, fidgeting for a moment, an expression of embarrassment, or possibly shyness, on his face, before going on. "Well -- thanks. For everything. See ya." 

"Can I ask you something?" 

"Sure. What?" 

"Did you ever consider going along with Conwing? Helping him for real?" 

Eric smiled again, just slightly. "No. I saw him kill Porter. He liked doing it. He hates humans, I figured he'd kill me sooner or later, whether I gave him what he wanted or not." 

"Was that the only reason?" 

And now the Silver Guardian's face was guarded as he shrugged and muttered, "No, I guess not. I wasn't about to help him hurt anyone else either. Even you guys." He started to reach for the doorknob, hesitated, and glanced back. "Aren't you going to ask me to promise not to tell about your friends?" 

"Nope." Wes smiled. "I trust you." 

Eric stared at him, looking surprised, and then that odd look of almost-shyness was in his face again. He turned away, but took the time to say, "Goodnight, Wes," before he closed the door behind him. 

* * *

TBC... 


	14. Healing

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Healing

* * *

It was morning, sunlight reaching in through the portholes of the prison ship. Nadira woke slowly, blinking, then abruptly pushed herself up from the couch where she had fallen asleep, waiting. A quick check told her what she already suspected. Conwing had not returned. The Rangers must have gotten him. 

For the first moments, she felt relief, a vindictive happiness. He'd never look at her like that again, never dare to touch her. But almost immediately, her heart squeezed with fear. She was all alone now. Alone in an empty, echoing ship, a stranger in a strange time, no friends, no father, no help, not even the cyclobots. 

Back on her couch, she shivered and pulled her knees up to her chest. If only she could bring Ransik back... but she couldn't, not without the serum... what would he tell her if he was here, what would he want her to do? 

Only silence answered. And then she remembered. There was one person from her time still around. Frax -- Dr. Fericks, or what was left of him -- was still out there, somewhere. She shivered again. 

* * *

"You captured Conwing. The mutant who killed Commander Porter. Good work." 

"The Rangers captured him, sir." 

"But only with your help. It was _your_ idea. And it took a lot of courage to do what you did." 

Eric stared straight ahead, but he could feel Collins' gaze on him, and wondered if the older man could see how pleased he was by that compliment. "Yes, sir, thank you," he answered. 

"I wish you could have taken a troop of Guardians. If _we_ could have captured that mutant instead..." 

"Too risky, sir. Too hard to hide that many men. And I'm not sure we have a prison that could hold Conwing." 

"Hmm. Maybe you're right. You showed good planning in arranging all of it." 

"Thank you, sir." Eric looked directly at his employer's blue eyes for a moment, then snapped back to attention, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. 

"At ease, Myers. Relax." 

"Yes, sir." Eric didn't move. 

"Your face... they did something to heal it, didn't they?" 

"I..." Eric shifted uncomfortably and looked at him again, then at the floor. "Yes, sir. They had something that helped." 

"I'm glad of that." Collins' voice was very soft. "And they were the ones who gave us the serum, weren't they?" 

"They didn't say." 

He heard a faint sigh, and then, "You must have spent some time with them. Did you find out anything about them? Where they came from? What their purpose is here?" 

"No, sir. Nothing." 

"Damn," Collins muttered. "I was hoping you'd learn _something_..." 

"Sorry, sir." Eric forced himself to look up, a brief vision of himself in the commander's red beret flickering through his mind, and disappearing. "I know they have good reason to keep where they came from a secret. I know what they want is to protect us. I know your son's doing the right thing, working with them. And that's all I can tell you." 

Again Collins examined him, making him want to squirm uncomfortably. Then he sat back and said, "All right." 

"Sir, if I may be excused..." 

"One more thing." 

Eric straightened to attention again, stomach tightening, unsure of what to expect. He waited. 

"As I was saying, you did a good job. You worked well with the Rangers. I want more of that, wanted to put my son in command of the Guardians, as you know, thought that way they would cooperate with us. But perhaps it's just as well that didn't work out." He paused for a breath. "Do you still want the commander's job?" 

Eric knew his surprise was showing, and tried to conceal it. "Of course, sir." 

"It's yours." Collins got up, circled his desk, and held out his hand. "Congratulations." 

"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down." 

"I'm sure you'll make a fine leader. Eric." 

They shook hands with a quick smile, then Eric saluted smartly and started out of the office, not letting himself break into a delighted grin until his back was turned. 

* * *

"Alex is usually the one staring out the window. Now here _you_ are." Wes leaned against the stone windowsill, his eyes on Jen's face as she gazed out, watching her lips curve into a faint smile as she glanced at him. 

"Now I know why he does it," she said. She looked out again, still smiling softly. "Silver Hills. In my time, it's called Silver City. It's bigger, and just as beautiful. Time Force headquarters is up there, on top of that hill." She nodded towards the city limits. "I still remember the first time I saw it. It was kind of scary. But I sort of fell in love with it." 

"You didn't grow up here?" 

"No, we lived in the countryside, in a farming community." 

"I'm surprised you'd still have farming in your time." 

"We still have to eat. Still have to grow plants. And we've gone back to some of the older methods, to preserve the environment... My parents assumed I'd grow up to take over the farm, and so did I... but then they died..." She leaned her head against the stone, eyes dreamy and distant. "It was an accident, with the farming equipment. I was fifteen. Went to live with my aunt and uncle. They were nice enough, I guess, but I never really fit in with them, never felt comfortable. I sold the farm, wanted to leave all of it behind me, start over, find some place where I really belonged. So I joined Time Force as soon as I was old enough." 

"And did you fit in there?" 

"Not at first. It was a very different life, here in the city, and I had trouble, always felt like I wasn't good enough, wanted to be perfect... then Alex came along, took an interest in me. He helped so much..." 

She blinked, looked up at Wes, and then over the city again. "Anyway, pretty soon I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Protect the timeline. Protect Silver City, everyone in it." She sighed. "I know it's only concrete, steel, brick, glass. But sometimes I feel like it's alive, some kind of giant creature, living and breathing... and to hear Alex say it's gone now, in my time..." Raising a hand to brush a tear away, she gave a brief, breathless laugh. "Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it? To be worrying about a city, when I should be concerned about all the people in it." 

"It's not silly. Maybe you just can't stand thinking about the people." 

She looked at his face again, eyes still sparkling with tears, and reached to touch his hand quickly and briefly. Then she looked away, her face firming. "I just wish Alex had told me," she said. "He could have -- have trusted me. Should have shared his problems with me." 

"_I_ would have told you," Wes said without thinking. 

Jen glanced at him again, surprise showing for a moment, and something else he couldn't identify. Then she smiled just slightly and leaned on the windowsill again, making room for him as they both looked out over the city together. 

* * *

Alex saw them as he quietly padded through the large central clock tower room and headed for the stairs. Jen and Wes, at the window, shoulder to shoulder, as if they belonged together. _And maybe they do,_ he thought as he ran down the stairs and out to the street, turning towards Hillside Park and the jogging trail. 

Wes... he was always so cheerful, making jokes, kidding around, not seeming to take anything seriously. And yet he had stood up for Eric, not letting anything stand in his way. Surprisingly, he had strength of character. On top of the gift of getting along with people. Something Alex had always lacked. 

And Jen... the way she had looked when he had told them the truth. He knew she was hurt that he hadn't confided in her. In fact at the way he had acted ever since he had come here. He had been hard and cold, had taken command away from her, had driven all of them... For a cause, of course, a good one, they had to reverse the change in the timestream, or nothing else would matter... But did it mean he had to hurt Jen? And he had been cold because he was so afraid... for them... Maybe he had withdrawn, at least in part, to protect himself; to put a distance between himself and the others, knowing the pain and loss that was still to come. 

He stopped at the end of the trail, bending with hands braced to catch his breath before starting back. No. They had a mission. He had to push all of them to accomplish it. But he didn't have to push away the woman he loved. Maybe he could take a lesson from Wes, try to win back the affection he sensed was rapidly fading... If it wasn't already too late. 

* * *

Wes paused for a moment before raising a hand to knock on the door. It felt strange, knocking, coming to the house where he had lived all his life as a visitor. But of course this wasn't his home anymore. It had been months since he had seen it. About six months, he realized with a pang, half a year, since he had walked through this door. 

Had he been right to leave? They had quarreled -- more than a quarrel, maybe; he had been so angry, so convinced his father was only a cold-hearted businessman who cared about nothing but money, when he refused to get involved in that kidnapping, when he had gotten so angry at Wes for 'borrowing' the ransom money. But in his heart, Wes had always known it wasn't true, that things weren't so simple, so black and white. 

He had come here tonight to thank his father for his cooperation in the plan that had defeated Conwing, and to talk to him again about the serum. But it was also an excuse to see him, to see Philips, their butler, maybe to feel that he had a family again. 

"Master Wesley!" Philips had opened the door, and was smiling at him. "It's so good to see you. Nothing's wrong, I hope?" 

"No, nothing's wrong. I just want to talk to Dad for a minute. He's home, isn't he?" 

"Certainly. He's still at dinner in the small dining room." 

"Thanks. Great to see you too." With a pat on Philips' arm, Wes walked through the familiar foyer, glanced up the wide, curved staircase in the direction of his old bedroom, passed the large living room with its windows looking out over the garden, and found his father, as promised, sitting in the smaller dining room, absorbed in a newspaper as he finished his dinner. 

He looked up at the sound of Wes's footsteps, and broke into a smile. "Wes!" he exclaimed. "How are you? Nothing wrong, I hope?" 

"No. Since when does something have to be wrong before I come to see you?" Wes asked with a slight twinge of guilt. 

"You don't really want an answer to that." Collins folded his paper and put it down as Wes sat across from him. "Sorry. Have you eaten? Want anything?" 

"No, thanks." 

"Actually I'm very glad to see you. In fact I was wondering whether to call or drop by the clock tower today, to make sure you're all right." 

"Why? Didn't Eric tell you what happened?" 

"Eric reported in last night and I spoke to him today, yes. But it's not the same as hearing it from you, son. Not the same as seeing you." He paused, his voice lowering. "You could have called, you know." 

"I... I'm sorry, Dad. It was late..." Wes said, aware of how weak that sounded, even to himself. "Anyway," he went on, "I wanted to thank you." 

"To tell the truth, I wouldn't have agreed if I'd known you were going to take such a risk yourself." 

"Had to be done, Dad. Someone had to take the risk. Might as well be me." 

"Maybe." Collins was silent, hesitating for a moment before going on. "You're my son. It's still hard for me to think of you putting yourself in danger like this. Not just last night, but the whole Ranger thing." He leaned closer. "I don't know anything about these people you're working with, where they came from, who they really are..." 

"I wish I could tell you, Dad. If it was up to me, I would. But it's not my secret to give away. You'll just have to trust me, that I know what I'm doing." 

"I do trust you, but -- I'm a father, Wes. I'm worried about you." 

Wes looked away, both touched and uncomfortable. "I understand, Dad," he said finally. 

"Hearing about last night made me realize how wrong I was to let this -- this separation go on so long. You never know when it may be too late for apologies. Too late for anything." He held Wes's eyes. "We may not agree on everything, but we're family. I want you to know I'm sorry." 

Wes blinked at him. "It wasn't your fault, Dad," he said. "I said a lot of things I shouldn't have." 

"We both did. I hope that's all behind us now. I also want you to know -- I'm very proud of what you're doing. Very proud of _you_." 

Hoping his voice was steady, Wes said, "That means a lot to me. It really does." He looked down at the table, wishing he didn't have to say the next thing, but it was one of the reasons he was there. "Dad, there's something else. We need to talk about the serum again." 

"You still want me to discontinue research on it?" 

"Yes. It's very important." Wes glanced up to see his father's eyes on him, his face serious. 

"Now that I know Ransik needs it... All right. I'll suspend all work on it, at least for now." 

"Really?" Wes grinned. "Thanks, Dad. You're doing the right thing. And someday, as soon as I can, I'll tell you all about it. I promise." 

* * *

Just outside of town, an abandoned warehouse stood, empty and unused, as far as its owners knew. But someone had found a use for it. Cyclobots swarmed its interior, the sounds of metal on metal filled the dusty air, and a golden form paced among them. 

"Good," Frax murmured, whether to himself or to the robots surrounding him, only he knew. "Good," as he turned to admire their handiwork, a gigantic robot, as big as the Q-Rex, and, he knew, even more dangerous. 

"Only one more thing to do, to ensure that the Silver Guardians are eliminated, and Time Force never comes to be," he said. "The ultimate attack on the city... the crisis which will destroy Silver Hills, and put Bio-Lab and the Guardians out of business." His metal fists clenched. "Mutants, humans, with their wars... Let them wipe each other out. It'll be a better world without any of them." 

* * *

TBC... 


	15. Part III, Forever: First Strike

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Part III : Forever

* * *

First Strike

* * *

"Hey, guys! Look what I found!" Wes looked up and smiled as Trip charged into the main clock tower room, waving a boxy old-fashioned camera. "It's an antique camera!" he exclaimed. 

"It's pretty old," Wes said, getting up and taking a closer look, "but not quite an antique. It's an instant camera. If the film's still good, I can show you." He took a picture, waited a few seconds, and peeled the film apart. "The picture develops right in front of you," he said as they all watched the image slowly appear before their eyes. It was faded-looking and the colors were off, but Trip and Katie seemed to be thrilled. 

"Oh, take one of me!" Katie exclaimed, moving back a few steps and posing. 

"Me! Me!" Trip said, pushing in front of her. 

"Hey, slow down!" Wes laughed, and snapped them both as they struggled to get in front of each other. For the next few minutes, the old clock tower echoed with laughter, as Lucas joined in, grabbing the camera, holding it at arm's length and snapping a picture of himself, only to have it snatched away by Katie. 

The only ones who didn't join in were Jen, who watched with an amused expression, and of course Alex. The two of them were sitting at a small end table, playing a game of chess, an indication of how much Wes's double had changed his attitude recently. Surprisingly, he gave them a distant smile when he saw Wes looking at him. 

Wes dropped onto the couch and watched Lucas, Trip, and Katie until the camera ran out of film and they drifted back to their various occupations. It had been a nice little break, a few minutes of fun, sorely needed. The general atmosphere had improved in their little group during the past two months, much of the tension and hostility was gone, mostly because Alex had unexpectedly lightened up. But it was still depressing a lot of the time. 

What did it feel like, to know your whole world was gone? That was what the others had to live with. What Alex had been keeping inside all that time. Couldn't really blame him for the way he had acted. Wes found it disturbing enough, and he would never see it. The others had no home now, unless they could undo what Ransik had done. 

* * *

"Nice to hear them laugh again," Jen said softly. 

"Yes, it is." Alex's face softened as he watched their teammates playing. 

"Not going to tell them to get back to work?" 

He glanced at her, the shadow of a smile lightening his eyes. "I suppose I deserve that. No. Let them have a good time while they can." 

"You talk like something bad's going to happen." 

Now his eyes moved away. "We still have to face the final battle." 

Jen blinked. "Final battle?" 

"Frax and Nadira are still out there, remember. They're bound to make a move, sooner or later." 

"But without Ransik, they're leaderless. How much of a threat can they be?" 

"I don't know. But our history hasn't reverted. Trip fixed the communicator weeks ago, but we still can't contact anyone in our time, meaning our own timeline has not been restored. Whatever Ransik set in motion is still happening. There's bound to be some sort of disaster." 

"We'll be ready, Alex. We can handle it, whatever it is." 

"I hope so." His eyes were unfocused and sad. Then he seemed to shake himself, smiled, and touched her hand. "I'm sure you're right. We're Rangers, after all. And we never give up." 

* * *

Two months, all alone. She hated it. Nadira sat in the prison ship control room, going over specifications and damage readouts again. She was actually starting to make some sense out of the condition of the ship, to her own surprise. But that didn't get her any closer to fixing it. 

Without the cyclobots, she had been afraid to leave the ship for weeks, but boredom and loneliness had finally driven her out. With the help of a wig, she had ventured into town, and found some comfort in simply walking the streets or sitting in the park. They were only humans, of course, but slowly she had become used to them. Had begun to recognize the same people in the park where she went every day. Even began to look forward to seeing the children at their daily games, the office workers on lunch breaks, the couples walking hand in hand. The thought had come to her more than once that they weren't so different from her after all. Maybe even not so bad. 

Still, there was her father to think about. And she was homesick. So one day she had taken a scanner and begun to examine the damage to the ship from when it crashed. She wasn't an expert by any means, but she was intelligent, she had the ship's manuals, and she had plenty of time. Much of it had already been repaired by Conwing and Steelix. If only a few more parts were replaced, she could escape this dreary time and go home, hopefully to a better world. If only she knew more about it, had access to the right parts, and the right tools, or knew what to use as a substitute. If only Ransik were here. If only... 

She was so used to the silence now, the distant sound of a door closing brought her to alertness with a jump. Heart suddenly hammering, she listened. There were footsteps, coming closer, a slow, deliberate sound of metal on metal. Only one being walked like that. 

Sudden panic propelled her to the door. She ran for the only exit from the command section of the ship, already knowing it was too late. Almost made it, but a tall, golden form blocked the way out. She almost ran into him. 

"Frax!" she hissed, backing away. 

"Hello, Nadira. You're looking well." The robot's voice was impersonal and metallically cold. 

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" She flattened against the wall, cornered. 

"Thought I'd inquire about your father. Is he dead?" 

"No, he's not dead!" She could have bitten her tongue as soon as she said it. 

"No? Might I ask where he is, then?" 

"He's -- he's where you'll never find him!" 

"In Venomark's cryogenic containment unit, no doubt. If you had managed to get more serum for him, he'd be up to his usual tricks by now." 

"I -- I won't tell you anything!" 

"Such loyalty. How touching." Frax moved closer, his metal hand reaching to brush its fingertips lightly over the side of her face as she twisted her head away. "Ransik really doesn't deserve it, you know." 

"You don't know anything about my daddy!" 

"I knew him before you were born. Or didn't he tell you? It's a fascinating story, how we met." 

"He told me." Nadira looked up at him again, the memory suddenly sending a pang of shame through her. "I'm sorry for what my father did to you. It was terrible. But revenge won't make anything better." 

"But it's all right for him to have his revenge against the humans, I suppose?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Why do you think you're here, in this time? I suppose Ransik told you some story about making mutants powerful enough to fight human tyranny, to achieve equality, by eliminating Time Force. But the truth is he wants enough power to turn the tables. Mutants ruling over humans, committing the same abuses they were subjected to. And of course, with Ransik ruling over the mutants… What he wants is power and revenge, Nadira. He's blinded by hate. _Sick_ with it…" 

Frax had raised a hand and curled it into a fist. He stopped, and lowered it slowly, his metal face turning to look at hers again. "But what he's done won't turn out quite the way he planned. Oh, no. He'll have his revenge against humanity, all right, but mutantkind will suffer just as much. Ironic, isn't it?" 

"What do you mean?" Nadira gasped, not at all sure she wanted to hear the answer. 

"It's quite simple… In our timeline, several organizations used mutation-inducing technology to create mutants for their own very special purposes. They went beyond the usual enhancements in strength, intelligence, and talents, the kind of milder genetic manipulation that produced those two Rangers, Trip Regis and Katie Walker. No, they created mutant soldiers, powerful and deadly, minds and bodies designed exclusively for killing. 

"Time Force was the only thing that stood in their way. The only ones who could stop the production of these mutants, the only ones who could fight the mutants who had already been created. They kept the problem from becoming unmanageable. 

"Then Ransik came here, to 2001. He set events in motion that will result in Time Force never being created. Without them, there will be the war that Ransik predicted, but it won't end with a mutant victory. The sides will be too evenly matched, and the weapons too powerful. No one will win, there will be total destruction, human and mutant, a bare and lifeless world, all thanks to your father!" 

Nadira shook her head. "No! That can't be true! I don't believe you!" 

"What you believe doesn't matter. It's happening. All I have to do to make sure of it is to complete Ransik's plan… attack Silver Hills, cause as much destruction as I can…" With a quick movement, he reached to grab Nadira's arm. "I want Ransik to see it! I want him to know what he's done! Where is he?" 

"No! I won't tell!" She winced as the grip on her arm tightened, tried in vain to twist free. Tried to hold it in, but a cry of pain and fear escaped her. His fingers closed on her flesh, harder and harder as she struggled… Just as she felt her bones would surely break, he abruptly let go. 

"It doesn't matter. He's here, somewhere. When Silver Hills lies in ruins, I'll be back to show him his great victory, and exactly what it means." 

Panting, Nadira rubbed her bruised arm, watched him walk out, his steps as deliberate and unhurried as before, and tried not to whimper as tears spilled from her eyes. "But _why_?" she shouted at his retreating back. "You're human, underneath! If you know what's going to happen, why don't you stop it?" 

He paused, half-turned, his hollow voice echoing between the walls. "Humans, mutants, they're all infected with the disease of bigotry and hatred. Let them destroy each other. I'll return to a world cleansed of all of them. And the robots will inherit the Earth!" 

* * *

"Hmm. How many more? Ten? Fifteen?" 

Eric glanced down at Alan Collins' head as it bent over a desk scattered with papers. It had become a familiar view. He was standing in the place he had come to feel comfortable in, at the side of that large desk, in his employer's office, in an at-ease position, hands linked loosely behind his back. "I can use as many more Guardians as I can get," he answered. "There's plenty of work. Seems like more clients every day." 

"Haven't been any mutant attacks lately." 

"No. I think that's making people nervous. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, I guess. And of course we're also a protection against human criminals." 

"Yes. That's the direction we should be going in. Someday the mutants will be gone." 

"You intend to keep the Guardians going after that?" 

"Of course." Collins' face raised to look at him. "You've turned out to be a valuable asset to Bio-Lab. I'm not planning on letting you go." 

Eric felt himself flush slightly with self-consciousness, and lowered his eyes. The compliment had been meant for the Silver Guardians, as an organization, of course -- but Collins gave him a slightly amused, almost affectionate smile before he looked down again. 

He certainly couldn't complain about the turn his life had taken in the last two months. His promotion to commander had plunged him into more work, increased responsibility -- and he felt as if he had found his true calling. Being in control was deeply rewarding, of course, both to his ego and to his craving for power. But it was more than that. He liked the demands, the satisfaction of accomplishment, the knowledge that he was doing something important, and doing it well. He cared about the men and women who worked for him, and had become strongly protective. And he knew he had won their loyalty in return, even that of Steve Miller, whom he had replaced. 

As for the Rangers, he had formed a working relationship with them, if not a friendly one. With Wes, it was a little different. While he couldn't say they were close, they at least had made some tentative steps towards re-establishing their school-time friendship, even having lunch together once when Wes had come to visit his father. There hadn't been a lot of conversation, both of them feeling uncomfortable, but it was a start. 

It made him feel good, all of it. But it also frightened him. Whatever he had, only meant he had something to lose. The job, his house, this city, even the man sitting at the desk next to him, they had all come to mean entirely too much to him. And they were all still in danger. 

"Fifteen, then," Collins was saying. "Unless you think more..." 

"Excuse me, sir," Eric interrupted as a voice came from the headset he always wore while on duty. He raised a hand to his ear, listening intently. Collins looked up, his eyes narrowing at what he saw on Eric's face. He waited quietly. 

When he had heard it all, Eric looked down at him. "The other shoe's dropping," he said. "Some kind of giant machine, along with a bunch of cyclobots. Attacking our north warehouses. I have to go." 

"Of course." Collins' voice came again as Eric reached the door, stopping him only long enough to nod in acknowledgement as he heard, "Good luck, Eric." 

* * *

They stood in a line and raised their arms together, the light flashing over them. It changed them, replacing their clothes with the fighting Ranger suits, sending a surge of energy and strength through them, the feeling, just for a moment, that they were invincible. But Wes knew better than to believe it. 

The summons had come only moments before, Circuit alerting them to the news reports of an attack on Bio-Lab. There were no mutant lifesigns, this time. Only cyclobots, and -- something worse. 

Swiftly the team expanded their Timeflyers from the toy-sized form they were stored in, while Alex summoned his Eagle, and took off from the clock tower roof, taking the risk of someone seeing them. He knew it might not matter any more. He could feel it. The final battle was approaching. 

They soared over the city, Wes squinting as the afternoon sun beamed through his cockpit window. Then they were over the fields north of Bio-Lab. And they saw it. Only a column of smoke at first, then a large building in flames, an odd feeling of hurt coming over him at seeing his father's property being destroyed. And then something moving into view, turning towards them, sunlight glinting off metal. 

"Alex, what is that thing?" Jen's voice came over the communicator built into his helmet. 

"I don't know. Probably Frax's work." It was a machine, that much was obvious, as big as the Q-Rex, in fact rather similar. It had a stocky body, almost humanoid in shape, with arms and massive legs. Weapons bristled from it everywhere they could see, from its arms and chest, even its box-like head.

"Watch out!" He heard Lucas shout as the head turned up, and it raised an arm to point at them, a thick energy beam stabbing toward them. Wes swept into a steep turn, avoiding the attack, a quick glance showing that the others had also escaped. 

"Open fire!" Alex shouted. They joined in a ragged formation, making a run over the robot, raking it with their flyers' weapons. It moved back, surprisingly fast for such a large machine, but at least three beams hit. It didn't seem to do much good, he couldn't see any damage. 

But they hadn't used their most powerful weapon yet. He heard Alex's voice, shouting, "Q-Rex!" Then they were on the attack again, sweeping back, trying to drive the giant robot away from the building, where he could see cyclobots attacking running people, the black SUV's of the Guardians, blue-uniformed troops fighting back, even thought he picked out Eric's red beret. Had to keep that monstrosity away from them, couldn't let anyone get killed... They fired yet again. 

A shadow flitting over the ground told him the Q-Rex had arrived. He looked up to see it overhead, already on the attack, firing a massive burst at the destructive robot. It hit, the machine staggered back, but it raised its 'head' and defended itself, sending a stream of fire shooting from its mouth to flare around the Q-Rex. 

As the Rangers fled, the two giants exchanged another concentrated burst of fiery energy. It seemed to explode between them, almost blinding for a moment, setting the trees in the immediate area afire. The Q-Rex lifted up and circled, coming back for another attack. 

But Frax's robot seemed to have had enough. It abruptly began to change form, body telescoping, arms and legs unfolding into wings, then it was taking off, swiftly flying past the Q-Rex, which wheeled to pursue. 

They followed, quickly outdistanced, but it was no use. When they caught up to the Q-Rex, there was no sign of its opponent. They circled, searching, for several minutes. But it was obvious it was gone. "Head back for the attack site," Alex ordered finally. "We should assess the damages." 

And the damage was heavy; the cyclobots had disappeared but the building was still burning, fire engines arriving, but they wouldn't be able to save much. The warehouse would be a total loss. But that wasn't what worried Wes most. He spotted Eric, walking around the outskirts of the fire, and ran to catch him. 

"Eric! Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?" 

Dark eyes stared at him for a moment before he answered. "No. We got the building evacuated in time, everyone seems to be accounted for. A few minor injuries is all." 

"Good. Sorry we didn't get here in time to stop this." 

"It happened so fast... we got here only a few seconds before you. And there sure wasn't much we could do. What the hell _was_ that?" 

"We don't know, except Frax must have built it." 

Eric sighed, looking up at the smoke trailing into the sky. "Did you guys destroy it, whatever it was?" 

"No." Alex's voice came from behind Wes; he turned to see the others had joined them. "It wasn't even significantly damaged. I have the feeling this was just -- an opening shot." 

"You mean it's coming back?" 

"I'm sure it is. This was just the warm-up." 

"Damn. I don't think any of us are going to like the main event." 

* * *

TBC... 


	16. Legacy of the Past

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Legacy of the Past

* * *

It was the animals that made her want to cry. Nadira sniffled and rubbed the back of her hand across her nose as she watched a squirrel run up the trunk of a nearby tree, pausing halfway up to stare at her with bright little squirrelly eyes. It was the birds she could see overhead, the dogs whose owners were walking them in the park that day, all the unseen and unknown cats and horses and cows and fish, even the ants swarming over a dropped piece of bread in the pathway. All the innocent animals, just living their animal lives. All of them would die too, when the war happened. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the squirrel. Unforgiving, it continued on its way into the branches. Nadira sighed. Humans and mutants… but really the same thing, underneath. Mutants were only what humans had done to themselves. And they would wipe each other out… but what right did they have to take everything else with them? _What right do we have?_ she wondered glumly. Because she was surely just as much to blame as anyone. 

It had been a long and sleepless night for her, after Frax's visit. At first she had refused to believe what he had told her. But the echoes of his mocking voice gnawed at her, until she opened her father's workroom, determined to prove that the robot was wrong. All the research files were still there, the readouts, the records Ransik had used as sources. It wasn't too hard to run her own analysis, to extend the simulations and probability projections beyond what her father had done, to predict what would happen if their mission succeeded, and Time Force was eliminated from history. 

She had done it, set up the program and run it. Made adjustments and run it again. Searched for mistakes, made corrections, and run it again. Examined the algorithms, widened parameters, and run it again. By morning, she could no longer avoid the truth. Frax was right. It had been in front of them all along. Ransik had never seen it because he had never projected the probable outcome of his interference with history to its logical conclusion. Maybe he hadn't wanted to know. 

Now she sat on a bench in the park again, surrounded by the beauty of a living, breathing world, inside the artificial but no less living world of the city. All these people, unsuspecting. The young mothers she nodded to every day. The man who always ate his lunch on the next bench. The children, running across the grass after a ball… They would all be Frax's victims, if he had his way. She had heard the news reports of the attack on Bio-Lab, and knew it was just the beginning. The beginning of the end. Unless there was something she could do… 

* * *

They saw it coming in time to evacuate most of the people from the downtown office buildings. It walked towards the city, crushing a few cars as it moved through the suburban streets, ignoring the few police who dared to shoot at it. Perhaps fifteen minutes later, it was in the thick of tall buildings, and the attack began in earnest as sirens shrieked, police cars and Silver Guardian SUV's converged, and people fled in screaming masses. 

_"It's chaos here, this mechanical monster that a few people have started to call Doomtron seems to be destroying whatever it can…"_

"Doomtron…" Alex murmured, mostly to himself, as he watched the images on their small television set. "It's a good name…" 

"Alex?" Jen's voice pulled him back to the immediacy of the clock tower room, his teammates standing around him, waiting, he knew, for him to give the order that would send them into action. The order that would almost certainly send them to their deaths. He glanced around at all of them, feeling something made almost equally of regret, desperation, and resignation. 

Lucas, Trip, and Katie, their eyes wide and bright, their faces grim and determined. Wes, the untrained civilian, his rival, ready to give his life to defend his city and his future. And Jen, watching him with concern, seeming in his eyes to glow with the dedication and spirit he loved so much. His heart squeezed with the thought that this might be the last time they would all be together. Alive. 

"What we do now will determine history," he said softly. "And I want to say -- there's no one I would rather be going into battle with. It's an honor working with you. All of you." He directed a look at Wes, who offered a surprised smile in return. Then with a deep breath, he gave the order. 

"Let's go. We'll take the 'cycles, fight it from the ground while the Q-Rex attacks from the air." 

It didn't really sink in until they were on the street, speeding on their vectorcycles, as they looked up to see smoke wafting on the breeze over their heads. Until they saw the destruction, a trail of buildings looking as if holes had been punched in them with some giant fist -- not far from the truth, he realized. 

This was it, no more time, no more preparation. He had seen the records in the history files, the Time Force historical specialists had described it. But a faded image in a viewing monitor couldn't compare to the real thing as he stared up at the monster confronting them. 

* * *

Eric felt only a numbing horror as he saw it, looming above them, moving through a haze of dust and smoke. Doomtron, they were calling it. The giant robot was striding slowly through the densest part of downtown, pausing to methodically smash a building here, fire a blast of energy there. The streets around it were choked with rubble, impossible to drive through. 

"Get these people out of here!" he shouted, waving at a limping man being supported by a woman, dragging their way towards safety. A couple of Guardians ran to obey. Eric saw more movement, and saw a group of cyclobots charge out of the smoke and wreckage, headed straight for them. 

A barrage of blaster fire took care of some of them. As they approached, Eric ran forward, part of him welcoming the chance to strike out at something solid, something he could hurt, even if it was only a robot; to have something to fight. Because he sure couldn't fight that monster demolishing _his_ city. 

He turned and whirled into a kick, sending the first cyclobot crashing back into its companions. Two more came at him; he ducked under their reaching hands and plunged forward, jabbing them in the middles with his padded elbows, having learned the hard way not to hit them with a fist. As they fell back, he jumped, a high kick hitting a robot in the face, then grabbed a metal arm, yanking another over his outstretched leg and spinning it head-first into the cracked pavement. 

His men were around him by then, taking care of the rest. Eric paused for a moment to catch his breath. He looked around. A few small fires had started in wrecked cars and damaged buildings. Had to hope the gas mains wouldn't catch. Another look up, at Doomtron's back, moving away from them, uptown. Had to hope the Rangers could stop that thing before the whole city was destroyed. 

* * *

Alex jumped off and let his vectorcycle drop to the ground. Looking up, he raised his morpher and called for the Q-Rex to attack, seeing it swoop in only a moment later from the sky above the city. It fired at Doomtron, scoring a direct hit before Frax's robot turned to target it. The two fighting machines exchanged blasts, lighting the air between them in bursts of radiant energy as the Q-Rex passed slowly overhead. 

"We've got to get it out of the city!" Jen shouted over the noise. 

"I know, but how?" 

"The Q-Rex will have to land. Fight on the ground. Shooting from above, it's doing more damage. Maybe it can be more effective close up." 

She was right, the Q-Rex needed to get closer to do real damage. Which would expose it to harm too. He raised his arm again and gave the order. They ran closer, dodging over rubble in the street, stopping for a few moments to help a man trapped inside a car. 

The two robots towered over them, facing off as the Q-Rex lowered to the streets, transforming into its dinosaur-like walking form. Again they blasted at each other. Alex hoped absently that no one was still inside the buildings nearby, as stray beams of energy set off a dozen small explosions and sent more chunks of concrete and brick cascading down. 

"Q-Rex! Cannons!" he shouted into his morpher. "Fire!" 

The Quantasaurus brought its arms forward, the cannons built into them erupting into flashes of light and deafening noise as they fired, sending balls of white energy blasting into the other battle robot. Doomtron staggered back. But it gave as good as it got, chest artillery chattering in a staccato burst, lines of light tracing the destructive effect. Now it was Q-Rex's turn to stagger. 

"They're evenly matched!" Jen shouted, her voice barely audible. 

"Don't let up, Q-Rex!" Alex ordered. "Use the cutting lasers!" 

Red beams arched from the Quantasaurus' 'eyes', darting over the enemy robot, finally finding a spot at the base of its 'neck' that produced a burst of sparks and a puff of smoke. "Concentrate fire on that spot!" Alex cried. 

"We should find Frax!" Trip said. "He must be directing that thing!" 

"Right." Alex glanced at the rest of them. "Jen, take Lucas, Trip, and Katie. Scout around, but stay out of the line of fire." 

"Yes, sir!" They moved out, running quickly from one bit of cover to another. 

Alex tried to keep an eye on them, but the battle was heating up. Q-Rex and Doomtron crashed together, pushing each other and struggling to stay upright. If they fell, they'd crush anything underneath... "Q-Rex! Back off! Get clear!" he ordered. Q-Rex obeyed, stepping back. Doomtron pursued, its footsteps crunching through the rubble scattered over the street. 

"Come on!" Wes cried, starting after them, startling Alex, who had almost forgotten he was there. 

He followed at a run. As they moved, he caught sight of the other Rangers, crouching behind a line of cars. Doomtron would pass right by them... "Jen! Get out of its way!" he shouted into his morpher. But it was already too late, as Doomtron seemed to see them, drove the Q-Rex back with a renewed barrage, then turned and fired at them. 

"Watch out!" Wes shouted. 

They both ran forward, but they were too far away. "Jen!" he screamed, seeing them sent flying by the impact. 

The giant robots had resumed their struggle as he dashed past, Wes right behind him. Four unmorphed forms lay on the scorched pavement, starting to move, to his relief. He checked Jen, and saw Lucas, Katie, and Trip starting to sit up, looking dazed. 

"They won't be able to morph again for a while!" Wes exclaimed, casting a glance at the battling robots. "We've got to get them out of here!" 

"You're right," Alex said. He looked back at his teammates. With the energy drained from their morphers, they could no longer fight, for now. And maybe that gave him a way to save them after all, send them somewhere relatively safe. He even had a good reason to do it... "The four of you go to Bio-Lab. Wes, you go with them, make sure they get there all right." 

"What?" Jen exclaimed. "No, you need our help!" 

"You're no use here with your morphers not working," Alex said bluntly. "I need you to be at Bio-Lab. Work with the Guardians. Protect them." 

"Bio-Lab?" Wes asked. "Why, is Frax going to attack them?" 

"He attacked them first, remember? They're his main target." 

"But why? What does he-" 

"I can't tell you that, Wes. Just go. Please. Your father could be in danger, too." 

The red Ranger stared at him for a moment and then straightened and faced the others, all gathered around them now. "All right," he said. "We have to get back to the vectorcycles." They started away, then stopped and turned as Jen stayed where she was. 

"Are you telling the truth, about Bio-Lab?" she asked, her voice lowered. "Or just trying to get us out of the fight?" 

"It's true, Jen." He knew it was the only way to get her to go; giving her something more important than him to worry about. And perhaps keeping it secret was no longer important, now that their time here was almost over. "The Silver Guardians will become Time Force someday. You have to make sure they and Bio-Lab survive this. I need you to be there, in case I can't stop this here." 

She stared, surprise and hurt struggling in her face. "The Guardians? Why didn't you tell me?" 

No time to be tactful. "You might have told Wes. Now go on!" 

"But… what are you going to do?" 

"What I have to. Just go! That's an order, Lieutenant! Now!" 

He saw her lips move, whispering his name once more before he stepped back. In another moment he was leaping to meet the TF Eagle as it swooped down, then watching as Wes pulled her away. One last look was all he gave himself, before he put her, all of them, out of his mind and concentrated on the battle ahead. 

* * *

She had forgotten her wig, but it hardly mattered. The people around her were too panicked to even notice that the young woman pushing through them had bright pink hair. Not so bright, now, when coated by a layer of dust. Nadira stopped in the shelter of a doorway to stare at the giant robot several blocks away. She spent a moment wondering where Frax was, whether there was something she could say to persuade him, if she could find him. 

Then into the street again, hearing screams ahead, and seeing several cyclobots charging out. She ran forward, not stopping to think, and found herself between a group of terrified people and the silver forms of the attacking robots. 

"Stop it! Leave them alone!" she screamed. But they were not programmed to obey her, and Ransik wasn't there to command them. They advanced, slowly, metal hands reaching out for her… With a cry of fear, she ran. 

Bio-Lab was only a few blocks ahead. She stopped, gasping for air, leaning against a wall, still afraid. She would only find enemies there. They wouldn't trust her, wouldn't want to listen. But she had a plan. She had to _make_ them listen. Had to convince them somehow that she was on their side now. 

If she succeeded, then would come the really hard part. Convincing Ransik. 

* * *

History. Destiny. Fate. Alex soared into the sky in the Eagle, tightly circling the enemy robot, firing at its back with the Quantum Defender, looking in vain for a weak spot. He had to end this fight now, alone... 

It came back to him again, what the Time Force scientists had told him, months ago and two hundred years in the future. If they restored the timeline the way it was supposed to be, according to history Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip would die, leaving him and Wes to live on without them. But if he could defeat Doomtron now, history would be rewritten. The rest of them could live. Jen would be safe. 

"Q-Rex, move in!" he commanded. "Closer! Fire all weapons, full power!" Had to stop it now. At any cost. He flew in closer, dodging as the giant robot tried to swat him like a fly. The two machines faced each other, moved together, both firing full force just before they impacted, the combined energies exploding around them. Alex tried to swerve away at the last moment, but it was too late. The world seemed to come apart in a nightmare of fiery destruction. 

* * *

Wes pulled over at the side of the street in front of the main Bio-Lab building. To his relief, it seemed untouched, so far. But that might not last much longer. He could no longer see Doomtron and the Q-Rex, but the sounds of their battle reached him, and a cloud of smoke and dust marked their location. Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie parked behind him and dismounted. The five Rangers gathered. 

"Wes, we have to find your father, try to contact Eric," Jen said. 

"What can the Guardians do against that thing? We need more firepower than they've got." 

"I don't know. I don't know what Alex expects us to do." 

"Alex's timeship's no use," Lucas said. "It's got no weapons. Even if I rammed it into Doomtron, it would hardly make a dent." 

"We'll think of something," Jen said. "Come on." 

They had only taken a few steps when the sound of an explosion blasted them. Wes gasped as they all whirled to look back, seeing a massive burst of flame sending a fireball into the sky where the two robots were fighting. Where they had left Alex. 

Wes grabbed Jen's arm as she started forward. "Jen, no. There's nothing you can do." He let go. "Go on into Bio-Lab. Find my father and see what you can do here." 

"Aren't you coming?" 

"No. Alex could be in trouble. Someone has to help him, and I'm the only one who can morph, for now. I'm going back." 

"Wes..." Her chin came up, firm with determination. "I'm going with you." 

He reached to touch her cheek, gently. "Not this time. You know I'm right, you'd only slow me down. Take care of my dad, Jen. I'll see you soon." Without giving her a chance to argue he mounted the 'cycle and roared away, a quick glance back showing her still standing there, Trip, Lucas, and Katie beside her, as he headed back into the wounded heart of the city. 

* * *

TBC... 


	17. Struggle in the Present

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Struggle in the Present

* * *

It wasn't fair. Wes eased past yet another pile of smoking rubble, trying in vain to spot a red suit in the ruins left by the explosion he had seen. But there was nothing, nothing but the bits and pieces of the city he loved. At least Doomtron seemed to have disappeared, as he looked up apprehensively. None of this was fair. Innocent people attacked, for something that had nothing to do with them. Just a madman's delusions, bringing all of this about... 

There was movement ahead. A group of cyclobots. They were running in a line, spreading out, raising their fists to attack a feebly moving form lying on the pavement. Wes morphed quickly, then revved his 'cycle, sped forward as the robots turned towards him, welcoming the chance for a fight, anything to take out the anger he hadn't even realized he was feeling. 

He let the 'cycle crash into them, kicking up and out to catch a cyclobot in the head, balancing for an instant on one arm before spinning through the air, a double kick driving two more of the enemy back, and then landing on his feet. A side kick, a quick yank on an arm, and he flipped another into its companions. He lashed out again, feeling the solid impact as he drove a fist into metal. 

And then there were no more to fight, several cyclobots lying sparking on the ground, the remaining ones backing off, then running. Wes took a step to follow, but stopped as he heard his name called by the man on the ground. With a shock he realized the robots' intended victim had been Alex, demorphed and back in the red shirt and jeans he had been wearing before, now dirty and ripped. 

He ran to bend over his teammate, putting out a hand to help him up. Alex climbed to his feet slowly, bracing himself on Wes's shoulder. "Thanks," he said breathlessly. 

"No problem. Let's get out of here." 

"Fine with me." But as soon as he took a step, Alex winced and almost fell again. "My leg..." he gasped. 

Wes took another look, seeing the burns, the scratches on Alex's face, a cut in his arm and a worse one under a tear in the leg of his jeans. "You won't be able to walk far like that," he said. "And I guess your morpher's dead." 

"Right. I was caught in that explosion." 

"That's what I figured. What happened to Doomtron and Q-Rex?" 

"When I woke up, Doomtron was gone. Q-Rex was badly damaged; I ordered it to retreat and repair itself. Doomtron's probably doing the same. I have a feeling it'll be back." 

"Well, we'd better get you taken care of. Come on." Wes righted his vectorcycle, seeing with relief that it was apparently undamaged. He mounted and took Alex's arm, helping him get on behind him. "I guess we should go to Bio-Lab," he said. "Find the others." 

"The clock tower first. The medical unit's there. Did they get to Bio-Lab okay?" 

"Yeah, they're fine. Hang on." Wes waited for Alex's arms to close around his body -- reluctantly, he thought -- and started off carefully. 

* * *

They found themselves in the middle of masses of rushing people, sensing the panic just under the surface of frantic activity. Bio-Lab employees were preparing for disaster, scientists locking up their research notes, shutting down experiments, Silver Guardians running by, office workers being evacuated. Jen looked around desperately, then hurried towards the sound of a familiar voice. 

"Eric!" she called, seeing a red beret through the crowd. He heard her, his eyes finding her, and moved in her direction. 

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked with typical abruptness. "Where's Wes?" 

"Alex stayed out there, fighting Doomtron, and sent us here to help you. Wes went back when we saw that explosion." 

"We don't-" 

"I know, I know, you don't need our help. But we're here now, and you'd be a fool not to accept the offer." She confronted him, not backing down as he glared at her, breathing a small sigh of relief as a tiny smile crossed his face. 

"Okay, I guess you're right. What do you know about that thing?" 

"We think Frax built it. And we think you're Doomtron's next target. Bio-Lab, and the Silver Guardians." 

"But why? Why us? Why Silver Hills in the first place?" Eric watched her hesitate. "There's no time for your secrets now," he said. "Tell me the truth." 

"Yes, tell him! He's involved in all this," a new voice came. They all turned to see a very unexpected sight, a young woman with bright pink hair, her arms in the grip of two Silver Guardians. 

"Nadira?" Jen gasped. 

"What's _she_ doing here?" Katie demanded. 

"Who cares?" Eric snapped. "Arrest her. Make sure you remove all her gadgets before you lock her up." 

"No!" Nadira protested. "I have to talk to you! Please! I can help!" 

Jen hesitated. Nadira was the enemy -- but she seemed frightened, almost terrified, desperate. Some instinct told her to listen. Eric was looking at her, obviously waiting for her to say something... Trip nudged her gently, and nodded... 

"Let's hear what she has to say," she said. 

* * *

The clock tower. It seemed so silent and dark now, with the power off, and empty with only the two of them. Wes helped Alex to the couch and went to get the medical unit. Alex connected it himself, despite trembling fingers, as Wes watched, and turned it on. Then they both sat and waited. 

"Was it true, what you said about Bio-Lab being attacked?" Wes asked. 

Alex's head had slumped back against the backrest of the sofa. He answered in a drowsy mumble, his eyes shut, for a moment seeming almost unaware of what he was saying. "Bio-Lab... Yes, it's true. Ransik's been attacking you... and Frax... The Guardians..." 

"Why? What do the Guardians have to do with it?" 

Alex either didn't hear, or ignored the question. "Thought I could stop Doomtron by myself... But now it could still happen..." 

"What could happen?" 

"Before I left, they told me. The last battle, the Rangers dead..." 

"You mean... we're all going to die?" 

"Not all. If history plays out the same way... Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie will die. But the two of us will survive. Only the red and Quantum Rangers will be seen again." Alex laughed bitterly. "Ironic. We don't even like each other... But for some reason I'll stay here, we'll be a team... I guess it's my destiny." His face contracted into an expression of hopelessness. "And it's Jen's destiny, and the others... to die here..." 

"But -- if you knew this -- why didn't you do something? Send them away?" 

"Send them where? Our time, their home, is gone. If I sent them to some other time, they'd only come back. And -- without them, there's more chance that we'll lose..." His eyes opened. "Can't sacrifice billions of people -- even to save _them_..." 

"No, they're _not_ going to die, not if I can help it." Wes gave him a hard look. "You can give up if you want. But I don't believe in your destiny. The future's what we make of it." 

Alex's blue eyes, only a shade darker than his, were watching him now. "I tried," he said quietly. "I had to prevent it, couldn't let them die... That's why I came... But now I don't know how to stop it... Jen..." 

The helpless pain in Alex's voice sent a pang through Wes's heart. Almost unwillingly, he asked softly, "You really love her, don't you?" 

"Of course... so do you, I know..." 

"Nothing -- nothing's happened between us." 

"I know that, too. I watched you. Both of you. Can't tell if she loves you too..." His voice was bitter, but not angry. 

Wes shifted positions, uncomfortable. "She's never done anything..." 

"Couldn't really blame her if she did. She thought I was dead. And then I showed up and treated her like..." He frowned. "I was cold to her. Kept her out. Should have told her the truth, let her help, should have known she was strong enough. I've been trying to make it up to her, but now... it may be too late." 

"I'm sure she still cares about you." 

"I don't know." He sighed. "Maybe you deserve her more than I do. Maybe you could make her happy, the way I can't." 

"Alex..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say, unsure of what he was feeling. Deep sadness overwhelmed him for a moment. He loved Jen... but there was no way they could stay together. All this time, he'd avoided thinking about the future. The truth was, they had no future together, even if they both survived. She couldn't stay in 2001, it would interfere with history. Equally, he couldn't leave his own time. And no matter what he thought of Alex or the way he had acted, there was no question that he loved Jen, and they were engaged; no one had the right to come between them, no matter how much he wanted to. "Maybe you should be telling _her_ all this, instead of me," he said finally. 

"If I get the chance..." 

"Don't talk. We both need to rest. This fight's not over." 

* * *

"All right. Tell us exactly why we should trust you." Jen stared at Nadira, trying not to see the image of Ransik. You can't help who your parents are, she reminded herself. But Nadira had done her share of violent and contemptible things. Tried to kill Jen herself, right after they had arrived in this time. Had been involved in kidnapping those kids. All those robberies. But now... She glanced around at the others. Lucas and Katie met her eyes, Eric stared stonily, Trip nodded again. 

"Maybe you shouldn't. But please, at least listen." Nadira surprised her with the steadiness of her gaze. She seemed to have calmed down, although her fingers still twisted together nervously. But now she raised her chin with determination. 

"My father was attacked by Venomark years ago," she started. 

"We know," Jen said. "And we know Frax destroyed his supply of serum. That's why Conwing was trying to get more from Eric. Ransik was still sick from the venom, and you put him in cryogenic storage to save him." 

"Yes. I guess Conwing told you." Nadira bent her head over her hands. "Do you know _why_ Frax hates my daddy?" 

"No." 

She hesitated, biting her lip, whether in fear or confusion, or perhaps shame, Jen couldn't tell. Then she went on, her voice so low they had to strain to hear it. "Dr. Fericks." 

"What?" 

"You remember Dr. Fericks. Louis Fericks, who discovered the Venomark serum. He found Daddy when he was bitten. Helped him. Saved his life. Daddy stole his designs for the cyclobots and knocked him out and set fire to his lab." 

"That figures," Lucas said harshly. "We always thought one of the mutants he tried to help turned on him. Might have known it was your father." 

"I'm sorry!" There was a glint of reflected light from the tears in Nadira's eyes as she faced him. "I know it was wrong! But my father was hated by humans all his life! Rejected, forced to live on the streets... He's told me about the things humans did to him. Can you blame him for being angry?" 

"I blame him for hating people who didn't do anything to him! For attacking someone who was trying to help!" 

"We don't have time to argue about this," Katie said forcefully. "Just go on." 

"All right." Nadira's eyes dropped again. "Daddy left Dr. Fericks there, in the fire. But he didn't die. He was injured, really badly. He said -- he had to rebuild his body, in order to survive. So -- so he put his brain inside a robot." She glanced around at all of them. "He's Frax." There was a moment of stunned silence, all of them staring, trying to understand what she had said. Finally she went on, not looking at them, sniffling slightly. "Frax joined the mutant underground years ago. He got Daddy to notice him, and -- and got to be one of his people. Even helped him escape from Time Force. But all the time, he was just waiting to get revenge. He waited until Daddy got sick again, and let Venomark loose, to -- to make him mad, I guess. Then he destroyed the serum." 

Jen asked tentatively, "But -- if Frax is human, why has he attacked us? Why is he doing this now?" 

She got another frightened glance. "He came to the ship. The prison ship. Yesterday, before he attacked you. He said..." She paused, eyes filling with tears again. "He said he wants to finish the plan. To keep Time Force from existing. He figured out that then there's going to be a terrible war..." 

"We know," Jen said. "A war that will destroy everything in our time. Because of your father." 

"I _know_! Frax wants it to happen. He said then there won't be any more hatred or anything. Because there won't be anyone alive to hate. And only the robots will be left." 

A knock on the door interrupted the brief silence that followed. They waited as Eric got up to open it, and saw Alan Collins' face on the other side. The Guardian and his employer spoke a few quiet sentences before Eric turned back to them. "Excuse me," he said. "Got something to take care of." He shut the door behind him. 

Nadira looked up again, her breath catching in a sob. "I don't want that to happen, don't want my daddy to cause the end of the world. And there's still a chance." She leaned forward, voice lowering. "He had Conwing kill that commander of the Silver Guardians... He said without him to lead them, they wouldn't survive the attack he was planning. I ran all the projections..." Her eyes moved to the door Eric had disappeared through. "And I think he was wrong, he had the wrong commander." 

"You mean _Eric_?" Lucas demanded. 

"Yes. He's the one who'll keep the Guardians going, so they can become Time Force. If we can stop the attack soon, everything can be all right again." 

"Assuming we believe you, how can you help?" Jen asked. 

The pink-haired woman took a deep breath. "Maybe _I_ can't. But my father can." 

* * *

"Are those the Rangers? What are they doing here? Where's Wes?" 

Eric could see the anxiety in Collins' face, and tried to look reassuring. "Yes, they're the other Rangers," he said. "They came here to give us a hand. Wes went back for the sixth one. Alex." 

"He's out there? Alone?" 

Eric sighed. "I don't know. But Wes knows how to take care of himself. He'll be okay." 

Collins stared at him, eyes narrowing. "I'm going to look for him," he said abruptly. 

"I'll send a team of Guardians…" 

"No. You need your men here, to protect Bio-Lab. I'll do this myself." 

He started off, towards the door. Eric cursed softly and hurried after him, muttering, "Not without me, you're not." 

* * *

"How do you feel?" Wes asked, watching Alex disconnect the last leads from the medical unit. 

"Still weak. The treatment healed my wounds, but it can't replace the blood I've lost." Alex leaned his head back again, his face harsh in the dim light. "But it doesn't matter. When Doomtron comes back, I'll have to fight. The Q-Rex is the only weapon we have that has a chance against it." 

"I guess." Wes eyed him uncertainly. Alex was pale, and looked completely exhausted. In no shape for a fight. "Meanwhile, you'd better get some rest." 

"No. We have to get to Bio-Lab. Find Jen and the others... And you want to make sure your father's okay, don't you?" 

"I guess you're right." Wes stood. 

Alex got up more slowly. "Bring the Timeflyers," he said. 

As Wes retrieved the case that held their flyers in miniaturized form, Alex headed for the stairs going down and stood for a moment, seeming to gather his strength. When they started down, Wes took his arm as unobtrusively as he could. Alex gave him a sharp look, but accepted the help. 

* * *

"What?" Jen exclaimed. "You really expect us to give your father the serum? Revive him? He started this whole thing. Why should he help us now?" 

"He didn't know what would happen! He doesn't want a war, not like that! I'll tell him, explain to him…" 

"He won't believe you." 

Nadira met Jen's eyes. "I have the proof, it's all there, in the prison ship. His own research, his own simulation programs. He'll have to believe it." She smiled bitterly. "Anyway, you have no choice. Even if the Q-Rex can defeat Doomtron, the cyclobots will still do enough damage to destroy Silver Hills. My father's the only one who can stop them. I don't think Frax has had time to change the programming that makes them obey him." She looked at each of them. "He'll be weak when you bring him out of the container, you can -- can handcuff him, or tie him up, or whatever you want. And if he won't listen, I'll put him back in the cryogenic unit myself." 

"Well -- what do you think?" Jen asked, with a glance at the others. 

"I don't like it. Not sure I trust her. But she's right, we don't have much choice," Lucas said, arms crossed, a frown on his face. 

"She knew about the war… She must have really found out the truth. I believe her," Katie said, earning a smile from Nadira. 

That left Trip, the most important opinion, from the only psychic member of the team. "I think we can trust her," he said, his eyes on the pink-haired mutant. "Nadira's telling the truth. And -- I have a good feeling about Ransik too. It won't be easy to convince him, but I think we can do it." 

"All right." Jen thought for a moment. "Katie, you and Lucas come with me and Nadira to the prison ship. Trip, you go to Alex's timeship. Get the video record he said he has of the time wave, and a tube of the serum, and meet us." She stood up and looked down at Nadira. "I hope you're telling the truth. Because if you're not, you've just condemned the whole world to death." 

* * *

TBC... 


	18. Hope for the Future

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Hope for the Future

* * *

They had driven, at first, but as they got closer to the center of town the streets became impassible, too much rubble and debris from damaged buildings, too many wrecked or abandoned cars. They got out and walked, mostly in silence, except for when Collins stopped to shout Wes's name. After a while he stopped. Eric hardly noticed. 

They found a few victims alive and injured amid the destruction, Eric using his headset to call for medical and rescue teams. They found more who were beyond help, and left them, trudging on through a landscape of dust and smoke. At least there was no sign of either Doomtron or the Q-Rex. But the cyclobots were still active. 

Eric stayed in contact with the Guardians, directing them to cooperate with the police to form groups of rescue workers and protect them as they moved through the area, picking up victims. They passed firefighters, saw the first of the National Guard arrive, saw and heard fighter jets overhead. But the fight was far from over, he realized as they heard both gunfire and blaster shots in the distance. 

After they had searched the location of the explosion where the two giant robots had last been seen, he had had enough. "We have to head back, sir," he said. "It's not safe here." 

"You go on. The Guardians need you. I'll keep looking." 

"No way I'm leaving you out here, sir." 

Collins looked at him. He had discarded his business jacket, his expensive suit was dusty and dirty, and fear lurked in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Eric. But I have to find him." 

"I understand. But we have no idea where to look, and you're risking both our lives. I've alerted the Guardians and the police. I'll come back and search with them. We'll find him." 

"Wait." Collins pointed. "The clock tower. It's not far. Maybe that's where they went." 

"Well…" It made sense. And if it would make him happy… "Okay. But then I'm getting you somewhere safe. No arguments." 

"Yes, _sir_," Collins said, briefly smiling and patting his arm before they started walking again. 

* * *

"We can't even get through," Wes said. "Too much stuff in the street, even for the vectorcycle. How's your morpher?" 

"Usable. I should be able to morph for a while." 

They had spent close to an hour traveling through clogged streets in the general direction of Bio-Lab. Attempts to help a few victims and an encounter with a group of cyclobots had slowed them down. Along with Alex's weakened condition. 

"Good. Let's just take the Eagle. We can be there in a few minutes." 

"I suppose." 

Wes watched Alex as he dismounted from the 'cycle, shuffled a few steps away, and raised his morpher. The Ranger was obviously in bad shape. If they didn't need the Q-Rex… But they did, and Alex had no choice but to stay in action. 

"Wait!" he said, as a faint sound alerted his senses. Blaster fire, and a shout, in a familiar voice. "Come on!" He yanked at the vectorcycle, then gave up on it and started to run. 

* * *

"Are we ready?" 

"Ready as we'll ever be," Lucas answered. 

"Okay." Jen took a deep and deliberate breath. They had prepared. Nadira had her printouts and was ready to run the projection and simulation programs again if necessary. Trip had brought the video record from Alex's ship, and the serum. Katie was standing by with heavy-duty handcuffs. "Spread out," she said. "Morph, and have your weapons ready." Ransik might be sick, but she didn't intend to take chances. 

After following her own instructions, she nodded to Nadira. The mutant lifted the containment vessel -- the same one that had held Venomark, Jen noted, judging from the warning markings -- and pressed the restoration key sequence. A cone of pale light spread from the bottom, illuminating a circle of floor in the hijacked prison ship. And a form appeared in the circle. A man, large and black-haired, hunched over and on his knees in an attitude of pain. Ransik's body solidified and began to move. His face turned up, his eyes swiftly took them all in. He tensed. 

"Don't move," Jen said. "There's four of us, and we won't hesitate to shoot." 

"Nadira?" he gasped. 

"Daddy, please, do what they say." 

At another nod from Jen, Katie stepped forward, handing her blaster to Lucas who aimed at Ransik double-handed. She reached for Ransik's arm. He snarled and swung at her. Without flinching she blocked him, brought an elbow down hard on the back of his neck, and pulled his arms behind his back, locking the cuffs on. 

"You wouldn't dare treat me like this if I wasn't sick!" Ransik shouted, gasping, shaking his head. He groaned. 

Jen noticed the bluish blotches on his skin, and let him moan for a few moments. "All right. Nadira, give him the serum." 

She hurried to comply, tilting the tube Trip handed her into her father's mouth. 

"It's not enough," Ransik muttered. "This isn't enough!" 

"Half a dose. It'll keep you well enough to listen." 

"What could you possibly have to tell me that I'd want to hear?" 

"Not us. Now shut up. Your daughter has something to tell you." 

* * *

"Dad!" Wes shouted, reaching for his morpher in the same instant. His father was down the street, a block away, Eric beside him, the two of them surrounded by cyclobots. Eric was putting up a good fight with his blaster, but there were too many. Wes sprinted forward as soon as he was morphed. 

He slammed into one, jumping into a smooth kick that sent it flying, continuing into a leg sweep that knocked another over, then a punch, ducking under a swinging metal arm, grabbing and yanking it to flip the robot over his shoulders. He saw blasts; Alex was morphed and picking the cyclobots off until they got too close. 

Ahead of him, Eric also was involved in hand-to-hand combat, snarling viciously as he leaped into a spin kick, then blocked a punch, grunting at the impact. Collins was behind him, back to back, struggling against a robot that was trying to pull him away. Wes aimed quickly and shot it, seeing it go down in burst of sparks before a hard blow from behind took him unawares. 

It turned into a blur of punches and kicks, his reflexes taking over, bracing himself on a robot back and vaulting over it to crash feet-first into metal bodies, kicking them back, using his blaster when he had the chance. He fired at another, looked around, and saw none left standing, only robot 'bodies' strewn around and the four of them, breathing hard and looking at each other. 

"Power down," he heard from behind him. Alex stepped to his side. 

Wes demorphed also and started forward, exclaiming, "Dad! What are you doing out here like this? It's too dangerous…" 

The next moment he had been caught in a tight hug, as his father said, "I was looking for you. Thank God you're all right..." He trailed off, staring with a shocked and astonished expression, his eyes moving from Wes's face to Alex… "What -- what is this?" he stammered. 

"It's okay, Dad. This is Alex." 

"Got to me too, at first," Eric said. "The way they look alike." 

"Look alike! They're like twins… Wes, what's going on? Who is that?" 

"He's a friend, Dad. No time to explain. We have to get you somewhere safe." He shot a look at Eric. "How could you let him come out here?" 

"Did _you_ ever try to stop him doing anything he wants, wiseass?" 

"Good point," Wes admitted. 

"Wes, what-" his father started again. 

"_Watch out!_" 

The cry had come from Eric. Wes whirled to see one of the cyclobots back on its feet, they hadn't been careful, should have kept an eye out, too late now, it had a blaster, and it was firing, the thin line of deadly energy reaching for them… But someone was in the way, blocking it, a beam blasting the robot, Eric shooting it down as Alex cried out, a flare of light bursting around him, leaving him slowly sagging to the ground. 

* * *

"No, you're lying! You're wrong!" Ransik turned his face away from Nadira and glared at the Rangers. "You've brainwashed her somehow! Made her do this!" 

"Daddy, no, it's the truth…" 

"Quiet, little girl! You know nothing about this!" 

"I do know! More than you!" Nadira jumped to her feet, her eyes blazing down at her father as he sat in his chair in the prison ship workroom. "All my life, I've looked up to you, Daddy, thought you were such a great man! Thought you would do anything for our people, make any sacrifice! I thought you would lead us, make the world better for us!" 

"I've tried…" 

"No! All you've done is hate! All you could think about was revenge, and killing, and power! You're so blind, you won't see the truth when it's right in front of you! Look!" She snatched up a handful of papers and shoved them in his face. "Look at this, really look! It's all here, but you won't see… You'll let everyone die, before you admit you're wrong…" She threw the papers to the floor and stepped back. Jen saw the sparkle of tears in her eyes, and heard them in her voice as she went on, almost in a whisper. "I'm ashamed to be your daughter…" 

Ransik looked as if she had slapped him. He watched silently as she turned and ran from the room. There was silence as her footsteps faded away. His shoulders rose and fell in a heavy sigh. Then he looked up at Jen, his face vulnerable, just for a moment. "Would you show me those readouts again?" he asked quietly. 

"Of course. And we have more proof, too, if you're willing to look." 

* * *

Nadira bent over a console, shuddering, letting the tears come. She sobbed, a lonely sound in a room that seemed to echo with emptiness… but it wasn't empty; she jumped as a voice spoke her name. 

"Lucas…?" 

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." 

"It's okay. I, uh…" She wiped at her face, suddenly conscious of the tears streaking it. "I shouldn't cry." 

"Why not?" 

"Makes my nose all red…" 

He stared for a moment, and then grinned. "It's the end of the world, and you're worrying about a red nose?" But his voice was more teasing than disapproving. 

"Silly, isn't it? But if the world's going to end, I might as well look good for it." She smiled shakily as he grinned again, suddenly aware of how amazingly handsome he was. Strange, that she had never noticed before. 

"You're a woman after my own heart," he murmured almost flirtatiously. "That was some speech you gave in there." 

Her smile fading, she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I guess you think it was all an act." 

"No, of course not. I believe you. And maybe it did the trick, Ransik's back there, going over your calculations again. And Jen's about to show him the recording of the time wave from Alex's ship. I think he just might be convinced." 

"You really think so? You really think there's a chance this will work?" 

"Yes, I do." 

"Daddy actually listened to me?" She said it almost to herself. 

"We should get back," he said. As she smiled, he held out a hand. Hesitantly, she reached to take it. "And you should never be ashamed," he added, giving her that beautiful smile again. 

* * *

Jen watched, horrified. There was no sound in the small room as they all stared at the monitor showing the video from Alex's trip. At first, the familiar view of the Time Force hangar as the ship lifted from the field, spinning dizzyingly as it turned, then receding. They saw a small group of people watching, Captain Logan's tall form easily identifiable. 

And then it happened, something wrong, something changing. A shiver seemed to run through the air itself, or maybe through something more fundamental, as one reality melted into another. The human forms seemed to dry and shrink, becoming insubstantial dust, then vanishing as if they had never been. And the rest of it… 

The Time Force buildings were gone, replaced by the ruined remnants of some strange structures, so damaged she couldn't tell what they had once been. The ground was bare dirt, no grass, only the blasted, dead stumps of trees. The view spun again, rotated, bringing Silver City into view. Or what was left of it. She heard a gasp as the picture steadied, a skyline of crumbling and fallen towers, burnt and blackened by some unimaginable torch, a place where only decay could live… 

"Dust to dust…" The soft voice belonged to Trip. 

"Oh, God…" She barely recognized her own voice. Alex had seen this… She felt a rush of pity for him, and of understanding. 

"We have instrument readings also," Trip said, his voice still trembling slightly. "No life bigger than a bacterium. Residue from chemical weapons. Radioactivity levels. Would you like to see them?" 

"No." Ransik sounded tired, defeated. "No, that's enough." He sighed deeply. "Nadira, you were right. I've been blinded by hatred, and it's almost cost everything... not just for me." 

"You can still make it right, Daddy." 

"Not for all the victims of this attack. But…" He looked up, his eyes brightening. "The first thing I can do is call off the cyclobots. And if you'll trust me, I'll do whatever else I can to help." 

* * *

Wes watched Alex collapse limply to the pavement with a feeling of helpless horror. He ran forward and bent over him, shuddering inwardly at the strange sensation of seeing his double lying so badly injured, almost like seeing himself. A muttered exclamation behind him told him his father had the same impression. Eric knelt and expertly felt for a pulse. It was unnecessary, Alex moaned and moved his head, blinking blearily up at them. 

"We've got to get help for him," Wes said. 

Eric was already talking quietly on his headset. After a few sentences he looked up. "There's a squad in the area, with a couple of paramedics. They'll be here in a few minutes, if they don't run into trouble." 

"No..." Alex's voice was strained and weak. "No, we have to get to Bio-Lab..." He raised his head with obvious effort, only to fall back with a low moan. 

"The only place you're going is a hospital room," Eric said firmly. 

"The clock tower," Wes said. "Your medical equipment..." 

"No time. Wouldn't help much anyway, I'm too weak. Doomtron will be back... Have to fight it..." 

"Alex, relax. I'll find Jen and the others. We'll take care of it," Wes said. 

"You... without the Q-Rex, you won't have a chance..." 

Wes exchanged a grim glance with Eric, and saw the look of fear on his father's face. He knew it was true. The loss of Alex could mean they were beaten. But... "I'm not giving up," he said. "We'll find a way." He smiled as reassuringly as he could. "It'll be okay," he said again, as movement caught his eye; a group of people approaching, the blue uniforms of Guardians and a couple of white-suited EMT's. "Here they come. I'd better get going, find Jen and the others." He started to stand. 

"Wait!" Alex had reached out, clutching his sleeve. "You need the Quantum Ranger..." he said. 

"Alex, you can't..." 

But Alex was bringing his morpher to his face, eyes meeting Wes's as he said, slowly, "Release voice lock." There was a soft chirp, and he added, "Confirm." Then he was fumbling with the strap, unfastening it. "Take care of Jen for me," he said softly. His eyes moved. And he held the morpher out to Eric. 

"What? _Me?_" Eric looked so astonished Wes almost found himself smiling. 

"Yes... We need both... red and Quantum Rangers... The morpher communicates telepathically. Just talk to it. It'll help you, suggest strategy... You'll be fine." 

"I... You'd trust me with this?" 

"You've proved you can be trusted. You're trained for combat. Brave. Loyal. A good fighter. Take it." 

Eric accepted it hesitantly, stared at it for a moment, before putting it on his wrist. His eyes widened slightly as he looked up at them, and said, "You're right! I can hear it!" 

"Stand up. Say it..." 

Eric stood and backed up a few steps. With a sudden smile, he raised the morpher to his face and said it proudly and confidently, as if it was what he had always been meant to do. 

"Quantum Power!" 

* * *

TBC... 


	19. Finality

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

Finality

* * *

They met at Bio-Lab, Wes spotting Jen, Trip, and Katie walking in just as he and Eric were starting to look for them. The five of them gathered in the middle of Bio-Lab's reception area, now almost empty, the employees evacuated except for the Silver Guardians. 

"Wes, are you all right? Where's Alex?" Jen greeted him. 

"I'm fine. Alex was injured, a cyclobot caught him unmorphed with a blaster shot." 

"Where is he? How bad is it?" 

"Hospital. He was conscious. I think he'll be okay." 

"Are you sure?" Jen exclaimed. "We should check on him." 

"No time, Jen," Katie said. "Doomtron could be back any minute." 

"But..." Jen stopped, her face falling. "You're right. We have to stop this attack." 

"And without Alex, we've got a real problem," Trip said. "If we don't have the Q-Rex…" 

"We do have it. Eric, show them." 

Eric had been watching and listening quietly. Now he held up his left arm, letting them see the morpher on his wrist. Stunned silence followed for a few moments. 

"How did you get that?" Jen demanded. 

"Alex gave it to him." 

"But you're… you're not trained… you're not a Ranger!" 

"I am now," Eric said. He frowned as the three of them exchanged uneasy glances. "Look, Alex gave me this morpher, and I'm keeping it as long as it takes to kick Doomtron's butt. Get used to it." 

"All right," Jen said, eyes narrowing. "I just hope Alex knew what he was doing." 

"Where's Lucas?" Wes asked. 

"At the prison ship." 

"The prison ship? You found it?" 

"Nadira took us there." She briefed him quickly, telling him about Nadira's change of heart, Frax's story, and their release of Ransik. "Lucas stayed behind, he and Ransik are working on repairing the prison ship," she finished. "It has some weapons systems, could be useful to us." 

"Are you sure you can trust Ransik?" Wes was still having trouble taking in the possibility that their archenemy could be working on their side. 

"I'm sure he's sincere," Trip said. "Once we showed him the effect of what he's done… he doesn't want it to happen any more than we do." 

"I guess. It's just hard to believe we could be teaming up with _Ransik_…" 

"Tell me about it," Jen muttered. 

"So -- now what?" 

"Now, I get the hell back downtown," Eric said, a hand raised to his headset. "Doomtron's just been spotted again. See ya." 

"Eric, wait!" Wes caught at his arm. Eric pulled it away, but he stopped and turned back. "You're one of us, now. We have to work together." 

"I'm a Guardian first. I'm not part of your team." 

Wes stepped closer, meeting Eric's eyes. "You're a Ranger. That means something. Alex gave you that morpher for a reason, so you could protect this whole city. Protect the future, for all of us." He paused and added, "You've got to go beyond being a Guardian now. Work with us." 

Eric seemed to hesitate as the traces of conflicting emotions chased each other across his face. Then his expression firmed, and he nodded and said, "Okay, for now. Let's get going." 

* * *

"Hand me that wrench…" 

"Which one?" Nadira sighed a little, inwardly. She didn't even know one tool from another. Wanted to help, but suddenly felt so ignorant. 

"The big one, with the red handle." Lucas took it from her, his head disappearing inside the console again as he made some unseen adjustment. 

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not very good at this kind of thing," she said. 

"Not everyone can be a mechanic." 

"But you and Daddy are. I feel useless." 

His face pulled back partially into view, an eye finding her. "You managed to run all those timestream projections. I wouldn't have been able to do that." 

"Only because Daddy showed me how." 

"You still did it, didn't you? Your problem is, your father still treats you like a kid… and you still feel like one." He slid out and sat up. "But I think you've been doing some growing up now." 

"She certainly has." They both turned at the new voice, to see Ransik standing in the doorway, his disfigured face smudged with grease. He glanced at Nadira, his eyes quickly avoiding hers, seeming almost embarrassed. Or ashamed? "I've finished remounting the stabilizer," he said. 

"Good. We're just about done, then," Lucas said. He reached to pat the console paneling. "This bird's about to fly again. Let's get to the control room, check out the defense systems." 

"There's not much power left. I'm afraid there won't be much we can do," Ransik said. 

"Better than nothing. And maybe we can do more than you think." 

* * *

It was back. Wes swallowed hard, staring up as Doomtron appeared over the rooftops, quickly moving towards the five morphed Rangers. It was just as fearsome, just as deadly-looking as before. He used the sensors in his helmet to try to spot any sign of damage, and found none. 

"Trip, scan for weaknesses," Jen said tensely, echoing his thoughts. 

"Already on it." Trip had his scanner in his hand, head bent over the small screen. "Repaired damages on the right side of the upper body. Can't tell if it's a weak spot, but it's a place to start." 

"We need the Q-Rex, Eric." 

"On its way." Eric took a few steps away from the rest of them and raised his arm. "TF Eagle!" he called. 

"What are you doing?" Wes asked. 

"I'm going to fight that thing, of course." 

"Wait," Jen exclaimed. "You don't know what to do, how to use your weapons…" 

"I'm a fast learner. And the morpher will help. I can use the Q-Rex better from the air." 

"I don't like you going off on your own like this..." 

He saluted them ironically with a wave of his gloved hand. "I know what I'm doing. Watch. Maybe you'll learn something!" And with a leap, he was in the air, landing on the Eagle's wing as it hovered, quickly sliding into the cockpit, then taking off into the sky, where they saw the Q-Rex flying to meet him. 

"Damn it," Jen growled. 

"Never mind, Jen," Katie said. "We have our flyers this time. Let's go. Kick a little robot butt ourselves." 

* * *

It was amazing. Almost like being able to fly himself. For an instant Eric found himself wondering if this was what Superman felt like. Then he looked down, all other thoughts fleeing as he saw the full extent of the destruction to his city. No more, he promised silently. He'd stop that monster robot, once and for all, one way or another. 

"Q-Rex, land. Attack Doomtron!" That had been Alex's strategy, to fight on the ground. Eric swept into a turn, circling as the two machines faced each other, surrounded by heavily damaged buildings. If he could keep them there, the rest of the city would be safe… if he won… 

Movement, as four small aircraft, a little bigger than the Eagle, rose into the air. The other Rangers. For the first time it hit him hard, he was a Ranger… not just the power he suddenly found himself in control of, but also the responsibility. He had the strongest weapons; if they failed, if more of the city suffered, it would be his fault. For just an instant, he faltered, wondered if this was a mistake… but then uncertainty faded. He was just as good as any of them. Maybe better. And he'd prove it. 

But he should use the help he had available. Bringing the morpher to his face, he called, "Morpher! Describe the Q-Rex's weapons systems!" 

A pleasant female 'voice' answered inside his head. _"Chest: blaster cannon. Right arm: laser cannon. Left arm: projectile cannon. Head: tracers, heat blasters."_

"Can you suggest strategy?" 

_"Yes."_

Eric waited for a beat before realizing his mistake. "Do it!" he ordered. 

_"Concentrate fire on recently damaged parts of target."_

"Sounds good. Q-Rex! Target the upper right side! Fire blaster cannon!" 

It obeyed with a blaze of energy beams, rocking Doomtron back and sending a thrill through Eric at the sight of that huge and powerful machine following _his_ orders. But it wasn't enough, he saw quickly. Doomtron returned fire, showing no sign of weakness, and it was the Q-Rex's turn to be driven back. 

_"Quantasaurus reports minor damage,"_ the morpher told him. 

Minor, but for how long, if this kept up? Frustrated, Eric looped in close, behind Doomtron, and fired at it with the Defender, probably useless, but he had to do something. And the other Rangers joined in, firing from a greater distance. 

_"Eric!"_ The voice was Jen's, coming from his morpher. _"Don't get so close!"_

"Gotta do something!" he shouted in reply. The Q-Rex was already faltering. They needed more. 

_"I've found a weakened spot on the back,"_ Trip's voice said. 

_"Everyone, line up and follow Trip's lead! Focus your fire where he does!"_ Jen ordered. 

"All right," Eric muttered grudgingly. He fell into line, adding his fire to the others'. It did little good, as he had expected. There wasn't much their small blasters could do, even the Defender. 

But then, a new voice shouted from his morpher, _"Guys!"_

_"Lucas? Where are you?"_

_"Look up! We got the prison ship flying!"_

Eric looked up. A ship was rapidly approaching, at least as big as Doomtron or the Q-Rex. It was ugly, squat and bulky, showing signs of heavy damage. He found a moment to be surprised it was flying at all. It sped by, sending a beam of reddish energy into the attacking giant robot. 

_"No significant damage to the target,"_ Eric's morpher said quietly. 

"No good!" he called. "Can't you put more power into your weapons?" 

_"No, the engines are almost shot. Power reserves are low, we can't stay in the air for long…"_

_"Eric, order the Q-Rex to attack again, we'll hit it at the same time! Lucas, you make another try!"_ Wes's voice this time. 

"Okay." He gave the order and watched as the two machines blasted at each other again, the Q-Rex moving forward, taking more damage, he could tell. The Rangers in their flyers darted in formation to add their contribution, the ship fired again… and again no good, Doomtron was turning, sending a blast towards the other Rangers as Eric peeled away just in time. He heard cries over the morpher communicator, watched, heart thudding, as the four flyers spun dizzyingly and fell from the sky. 

"Q-Rex! Stop Doomtron! Block it, protect the Rangers!" he shouted, diving for them as he saw the Quantasaurus lumber between the attacking robot and the fallen Rangers, so slow, just in time to block another shot with its own body, taking more damage. He fired again, desperately, knowing it would do no good. Q-Rex was faltering, pushing Doomtron back by walking into it, but leaving itself open for another concentrated blast. It began to fall -- he could see the other Rangers on the ground, out of their flyers and running, but they had no chance… He flew close again, hoping he could distract Doomtron, trying to ignore the danger… 

_"Get out of the way!"_ The shout, in Lucas's voice, pulled his eyes up. 

He saw the prison ship coming at them fast, looking even bigger close up. Saw it speed up as it flew over the Rangers, heading for the two giant robots. Darted out of the way, saw it barely avoid the Q-Rex and smash massively into Doomtron, consuming both robots and itself as a fireball exploded around them and rose slowly into the air. 

* * *

"Damn it..." Wes was hardly aware of his own soft curses as they moved slowly through the wreckage, searching, dreading what they expected to find. Ahead of him, Katie bent to lift a twisted piece of metal, and dropped it when she saw nothing underneath. She stopped to wipe a hand across her face, leaving the streaks of tears. 

Eric trudged next to him, his arrogant attitude gone, grim determination on his face. He had even laid a hand on Wes's shoulder for a moment, in awkward sympathy. Jen seemed stunned, Trip was hunched over his scanner. It occurred to Wes that they had won. But at a high price. The destruction to Silver Hills would take years to repair. For many victims and their families, there would be no recovery at all. And now, Lucas. They had lost one of their own. Presumably Ransik and Nadira, too, although he couldn't quite bring himself to mourn them. 

"I'm picking something up!" Trip exclaimed suddenly. "This way!" 

"What is it?" Jen asked. 

"Not sure. Don't get your hopes up." 

"Where?" Katie asked, pushing by him. 

"There…" He pointed at a large, vaguely barrel-shaped metal object, now dented and damaged. 

"I think that was Doomtron's 'head'," Katie remarked as she examined it. 

As they all walked around it, they saw what appeared to be an access panel or door, already partially broken open. Katie stepped up, grabbed the edges of the wall and the panel, and pulled them apart. The panel broke off. A form slid out, still golden, but twisted and broken now, metal arms and legs sprawling, the head falling back, its mechanical eyes seeming to stare at them blindly. Wires, many of them broken, connected it to the machinery visible inside. 

"Frax," Jen said. "He was controlling Doomtron. Wired himself right into it." 

"Poor thing," Katie murmured. "Dr. Fericks. He suffered so much. It must have driven him insane." 

"Yes. Even with the all the damage he caused… I feel sorry for him," Jen said. 

"I'm just glad it's over." Eric's voice was harsh. 

"So am I," Wes said. "It _is_ over, isn't it, Jen? We've won?" 

She sighed. "Yes, we won. The fight's over. We'll know soon if our timeline was restored. If it was, if everything's all right… we'll be going home." 

"Home…" Katie looked up, a wavering smile appearing on her face. "I thought I'd be so happy to be going home. See my family again. But now…" 

"We'll be going back without Lucas. I know, Katie." 

"All of this destruction. And Lucas. Maybe we've won, but I don't feel much like celebrating." 

"Hey, wait… What the _hell_…?" 

Wes glanced at Eric, and saw him staring past the rest of them, his face disbelieving. He turned. Stared. Heard Jen gasp softly as she looked in that direction also. There were people approaching, three of them, emerging from the haze of dust and smoke, finding their way through the rubble on the street. A tall man with long black hair, a pink-haired woman. And… 

"Hey! You guys look like you've seen a ghost!" Lucas called to them with a grin. 

"_Lucas?_" Trip was the first to move. "I had a feeling you were okay somehow, but I didn't believe it…" He grabbed his teammate in a hug. 

"You creep! Making us think you were dead!" Katie was hugging him too, now, leaving him gasping for breath. 

"Lucas, what happened? How did you survive that crash?" Jen asked. 

"Transporters. We left the prison ship's transporter base unit in the woods, where the ship was hidden. I didn't trust our repairs, knew we might have to get out in a hurry. So -- when I crashed the ship into Doomtron, we transported away before it hit." 

"Lucas was so brave," Nadira said. "He made us go first. He stayed until the last second." She gazed at him, beaming with admiration as he almost visibly swelled with pride. 

"Yes, your teammate did well," Ransik said. "He thought fast and acted decisively. He'd make a good mutant." 

"Thanks. I think." 

"Is that..?" Nadira asked, her eyes moving beyond them. 

"Yes. Frax." 

She walked over to the golden robot and stood over him, then knelt at his side. "Poor Frax. He thought by destroying everyone he'd make the world a better place. Without hate and pain. I suppose, in his mind, he was doing the right thing." She sighed, and reached a hand to touch his metal surface. When she looked up, tears sparkled in her eyes. "Do you have to tell everyone about him?" she asked. "I mean…" 

"No," Jen said. "As far as we're concerned, Dr. Fericks died years ago, in that fire. No one else needs to know who Frax once was. Let him rest in peace." 

"I drove him to this," Ransik said. "All of this…" He waved an arm to include the destruction around them, "is ultimately my fault. I also thought I was doing the right thing. But I closed my mind to the truth. Perhaps I was no more sane than Frax." He took a few steps closer to Nadira. "I even made my own daughter ashamed of me." 

"Not any more, Daddy." 

He held out a hand to touch her cheek, and smiled. Then he turned to face Jen. "I'm ready to pay for my crimes," he said. "You may arrest me." 

"Thank you," Jen said gravely. 

Wes watched as she held up a containment unit, as the pale beam played over the man they had spent so many months pursuing, the man whom they had all hated and feared, now somehow appearing very -- human. They all seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief as he shrank rapidly and disappeared. Then they exchanged glances, and subdued smiles. It really was over, Wes knew as his eyes moved back to Jen's face. Except for the goodbyes. 

* * *

TBC... 


	20. What If?

Wes, Jen, Alex, Eric, Lucas, Trip, Katie, Ransik, Nadira, Frax and others belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, but I am not and do not expect to make money from this.  
Conwing is Saban's but extremely different from their version of him.  


Rated PG-13 : harsh language; violence. 

Please review, it keeps me going. 

End of another story, and this one's been fun, playing with destiny. Thanks as always to Cecilia and Jenny, my betas. Thanks also to Rach and Mr.Quinn for suggesting various aspects of the plot. Thanks to everyone (especially Shirley and Sierra) who's reviewed, emailed, IM'd, and provided support and a lot of good discussion. Now on with the show! 

Quantum Destiny

* * *

* * *

What If?

* * *

_"You and me…"_

He dreamed again, feverish dreams of destruction; not fire and explosions this time, but cold, black ashes, decay, the invisible death of disease and radiation. And again the voice called him, telling him there was still life waiting for him, pulling him up when he sank in weakness and despair. It refused to let him go. Slowly he surfaced, and opened his eyes to light and warmth, the white walls and soft sounds of a hospital room. 

"Alex?" The same voice, but no longer a dream. Jen's face bent over him, smiling gently. 

"Jen… you're alive." 

She looked surprised. "Of course. You were the one who was hurt." 

"I thought you'd be dead when I woke up…" 

Her smile deepened. "That's a pretty strange thing to say." 

"Lucas? Katie? Trip?" 

"They're all fine." 

"Ransik and Frax?" 

"Ransik is in a containment unit. Frax is -- gone. It's over. Finally." 

"I thought…" He closed his eyes, raising a hand to his head. "The historical record… you all died, fighting Frax's robot." 

"The last time we were seen was just before the explosion that destroyed Doomtron. The media, the police, everyone thinks we're dead, and we decided to let them keep on thinking that. It's a good reason for us to disappear. That's what history will show, but it's not true." 

"Not true… History was wrong…" He began to laugh quietly, and controlled himself with an effort, afraid he wouldn't be able to stop. 

"Alex…" He cracked an eye open, to find Jen frowning at him. "You thought we were going to die all along? And you didn't tell us?" 

"No. Would you really have wanted to know? Can you imagine knowing exactly when and how you're going to die? I couldn't do that to you." 

"So instead you hid it. Kept it inside. Just like the time wave. Is that why you were so cold and distant?" 

"I suppose." He stared up at the ceiling, avoiding her accusing eyes. "Maybe I could have handled it better. But… I didn't know what to do. I felt so guilty. So -- responsible. Everything I did could have consequences I couldn't predict." He paused, and closed his eyes again for a moment before looking at her. "I think I may have caused the time wave myself, by taking the Quantum Morpher. It hit right after I did it. I almost went crazy with wondering if I'd do something -- or _not_ do something -- to make things worse." 

"But -- you don't know if the morpher had anything to do with the time wave. It could have just been coincidence. That was when the Guardians first showed up, too. When Ransik must have decided to assassinate Commander Porter. Maybe that was the cause." 

"I don't know. Maybe there's no way to be sure." 

"And whatever caused the time wave, it's been reversed." 

"What?" Startled, Alex stared at her. Jen was smiling again. She held out her hand to him. "That's right. We've been in contact with Time Force. Spoke to Captain Logan. The timeline is restored. Everything's all right." 

"Restored? But -- how? What restored it?" 

She shrugged. "We don't know for sure. Maybe Nadira and Ransik having a change of heart, and helping us. Maybe beating Doomtron before all of Silver Hills was destroyed. Maybe something that's not so obvious, like your giving Eric the Quantum morpher." 

"You mean it? Everything's all right?" He almost whispered it. 

"That's what I said." She was chuckling slightly, smiling that beautiful big smile he had fallen in love with, a lifetime ago… 

"Everything's all right? Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I'm sure." 

"_Really_ all right?" She began to laugh then. After a moment he joined in, feeling tears come with it, letting them wash away the memory, the dreams, as that terrible vision branded into his mind finally faded. 

"Jen, I'm sorry," he started, as the moment passed. 

"Shhh. I know." 

"I hope it's not too late..." 

"No, it's not too late." She bent closer, her hand tight in his. "Forever, remember?" And then, there was silence. 

* * *

Wes saw Jen smiling as she left Alex's hospital room and came over to where they were waiting. In answer to their unspoken question, she said, "He's fine. Awake. I think he should be back on his feet soon." 

"That's great," Wes murmured along with the others. 

"Then we can go home, as soon as he's out of here and able to travel," Katie said eagerly. 

"That's right." Wes thought the glance Jen gave him wasn't completely happy. But it might have been wishful thinking. 

"I can't wait... my parents must be frantic." Katie grinned at all of them. "What's the first thing you're going to do when you get back?" 

"Sleep for about a month," Jen said. 

"Get a decent sea kelp burger," Trip sighed. 

"Check out my cars and get back on the track," Lucas said. "Hope they're still in good condition." 

"What could happen to a bunch of racecars?" Trip asked. 

"Are you kidding? Racecars need love... they've been neglected..." 

"They'd better get used to it. Now they've got a rival," Katie teased. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Nadira, of course..." 

"Hey, cut it out!" 

"We should get the ship ready. Have to pack our stuff, take it back to the beach." Wes watched the three of them drift off towards the exit, leaving him and Jen alone, perhaps on purpose, judging by the glance Katie gave them. 

They sat for a minute or two in companionable silence, Jen with her head bent, apparently studying her hands as they lay in her lap. Wes glanced at her. A weight seemed to have descended on him. They would all be leaving, very soon. His friends, his teammates. The people who had become so important to him, who had shared his life for close to a year. He felt a rush of emotions; relief, regret, anxiety, the beginning of depression and loneliness. There was so much he would have liked to say to her, knowing it might the last time they were alone together, that it might be his last chance. 

_'Jen, this time has meant so much to me, being a Ranger, the chance to do something important, the chance to know all of you. But especially you. You're the most wonderful woman I've ever met. The most wonderful person. I'll miss you so much. I wish you could stay, or I could go with you, more than anything. I love you.'_

But he didn't say anything. What good would it do? It would only make things harder, for both of them. Jen belonged in her own time, they both knew that. Maybe she belonged with Alex, too. But he would always wonder... 

_'What if Alex hadn't come back when he did? What if we'd had more time to get to know each other, what if he hadn't always been there to stand between us? What if there was some way for us to stay together, somehow...'_

What was the point of wondering? They would never know. 

"I'm going to miss it here." Jen's voice was soft, her face still turned down. 

"Yeah. Well, you've been here for a long time. Close to a year." 

"A year. A lot has happened." 

"It's been the best time of my life. Even with all the problems." 

She looked up at him. "Wes, your life's not over. You'll -- you'll meet other people. Make other friends." 

"I guess. But I'll miss you. All of you." 

Her eyes fell again. "I wish we didn't have to leave right away. It's going to be a rough time, for everyone here. Rebuilding after all this destruction. It'll be hard. A lot for you to deal with." 

"We'll be okay." 

"I know you will." 

He looked up to see her watching him. "I hope you and Alex will be okay too." He had to struggle to say the next part. "He loves you very much." 

"Wes, I want you to know... I care for you..." 

"But you love Alex. I know." He smiled. "I want you to be happy, Jen. That's all." 

"And I want the same for you." She hesitated. "I do love Alex. I'm going to marry him. But -- there's a part of me that wishes things could have been different." 

"Have to face reality. This is the way things are." 

"Yes. You'll find someone, Wes. Someone wonderful." 

He smiled. "Why, do you know something I don't?" 

"I just know _you_." She reached to put her hand over his, just for a moment. 

* * *

He slowed and stopped the car, pulled over, and parked on the soft ground of a rise overlooking the beach. Eric got out, and spotted the small group of people gathered on the sand, a large, rounded, bulky object standing behind them. He watched for a few moments before starting for them, reluctantly. He had a feeling what this would be about, why they had wanted him here. Certainly not just to say goodbye. 

He hesitated for a moment in surprise as he saw Alan Collins among them, and then frowned. One more thing he'd have to face up to, and it might as well be now. Then Collins himself saw him coming, separated from the others and came to meet him. "Morning, Eric," he said, without a smile. 

"Morning, sir." Eric nodded towards the others. "Is that their ship?" 

"Yeah, that's it." 

"Then I guess Wes told you about them." 

"That's right. It was a shock," Collins went on, with a half smile. "The future. Took me a while to believe it." 

"And I guess you know I knew about it. And didn't tell you." 

"Yes. Wes told me about that, too." 

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't want to be disloyal..." 

"No." Collins patted his shoulder with a quick gesture. "I can see why they didn't want anyone to know. Only told me now to make sure I wouldn't start up research on the serum again. Which I won't. I don't blame you." 

"Well, that's a relief." Eric smiled briefly and changed the subject. "How's Wes taking it?" 

"Pretty well. Seems to be resigned." 

They both watched the others in silence for a few moments. Wes was talking quietly to Trip, Lucas, and Katie. Then he hugged each of them in turn. Katie seemed to be wiping away tears. Alex and Jen were a few steps away from their teammates, watching. Then all of them started in Eric and Collins' direction. 

"Still want to do what we talked about?" Collins asked in a low voice as they approached. 

"Yeah. If he's willing. I guess I owe him something." 

Then Alex was standing in front of them, Jen, Trip, Katie, and Lucas behind him, all in their white Time Force uniforms. He faced them, hands behind his back, as Wes stepped to his father's side. 

"Before we leave, there's one more thing to take care of," Alex began. 

"Yeah, I figured," Eric said. He held up the Quantum morpher, reaching to undo the strap. "You want this back." 

"Actually, no." Alex met his eyes. "You did a good job as a Ranger, in that last battle. Time Force command has reason to think both of you may be needed to protect this timeline again. They want you to continue as the Quantum Ranger. The Q-Rex is gone, but the morpher's yours, if you want it." 

Eric opened his mouth, closed it, and stared at him in astonishment, flushing as he realized everyone was looking at him, some not hiding their smiles. "You mean it?" he finally asked. 

"Of course. I don't make a habit of joking." Behind him, Trip smothered a laugh. 

"Well -- thanks." 

"You realize a responsibility goes with the morphers. You will be expected to use it only for the purpose it was originally intended for. To defend the timeline against any future threats. And to uphold the law." 

"Truth, justice, and the American way..." Wes murmured with a faint smile. 

Eric shot him a glare. "I may not be Superman, but I'll do my best," he said. 

"That's all we ask." 

To Eric's surprise, Alex held out his hand, and even smiled as they shook. Then Alex moved away to shake hands with Wes, and with Collins. And it was time to say goodbye. Jen, Trip, and Lucas also offered their hands, and Katie embarrassed him with a kiss on the cheek. They all lined up to say a few more words and share their last hugs with Wes. Eric watched, feeling sympathy as he saw the tears, the sadness, but also a sharp pang of envy. Must be nice to have friends who care about you so much... 

One by one, they walked to the timeship, and disappeared inside. Jen was last, she lingered with Wes for a few moments, the murmur of their voices too low to make out the words. Eric was glad; this was not something for other people to hear, he knew, as Jen's face crumpled, she threw her arms around him, and they held each other tightly before she ran for the ship. 

Wes watched them take off, his shoulders rigid. On impulse, Eric saluted. They had been good soldiers, after all, they had done a difficult job successfully, with courage and dedication. They had even been good teammates, he had to admit. But now, they were gone. And all of their lives had to go on. 

After a time, Wes turned and walked back towards them, his face unhappy but under control. Collins rested a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

"Sure, Dad. I'll be fine." 

"You know, I was thinking. You'll need a new job. There's an opening at Bio-Lab." 

"Come on, Dad... You know I'm not interested in my old job." 

"Not your old job. I'm making some changes to the Silver Guardians. Expanding them, and doing some work for the city; especially now, while we recover from the attack. We'll help protect everyone this time, for free. And I'm going to need a good leader." He faced Wes. "How about it?" 

"Dad..." Wes's eyes moved to Eric. "You've already got a good leader." 

"Your father's expanding the Guardians. There's going to be more work. Plenty of room for both of us," Eric said. "This was my idea, too. If you want the job..." He smiled, realizing the irony. "I could use your help." 

"Well..." Wes's face suddenly lit with a smile. "If you really want me to be your partner... It sounds great." 

Eric held out his hand, remembering for just a moment how he had rejected that same gesture so many months ago. Wes grinned, probably thinking the same thing, and clasped hands firmly. Collins dropped an arm across both of their shoulders. Eric glanced down at his morpher, and at Wes again. It felt like a beginning. The beginning of something good. 

* * *

Year: 2200

It was dark on the balcony outside Alex's apartment, and quiet. Jen sighed and relaxed. So good to be back. So good to be alone, after the crowds at Time Force, the reporters, the debriefing, calls to relatives and friends... Good to be alone, with Alex. 

His hands were warm on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "What are you thinking about?" his voice murmured. 

"That I'm glad to be home." 

"Close to a year, in 2001. Do you miss it?" 

"I'll miss -- certain things, sure." 

"Like Wes?" 

"Alex..." She turned around, wishing she could see his face more clearly in the darkness. 

"I know nothing happened between you. I trust you, Jen. You'd tell me." 

She dropped her eyes, and leaned slightly against his chest. "No, nothing happened. But you're right, I became -- very fond of him. He's a good man. I liked him." 

"I liked him too, believe it or not." His arms rose to enclose her loosely. "If things had been different, if I hadn't been there, and you thought I was dead for a little while longer, would you..." 

_Would I have ended up loving Wes? I don't know. I honestly don't know._ But all she said was, "You _were_ there. And I'm glad." She raised her face to smile at him teasingly. "Even if you acted like a -- a..." 

He winced. "Don't say it. But I intend to make up for it." His face met hers, their lips touching, gently at first, then more demandingly. 

When the kiss ended, Jen sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "So, everything's worked out," she said dreamily. "Time Force decided not to expel you for stealing the morpher." 

"Can't have one of the heroes of the Ransik mission being kicked out." 

"Speaking of Ransik, he'll be in jail for a long time, despite helping us at the end. But I'm glad Nadira's getting a suspended sentence." She chuckled. "I think Lucas is glad, too." 

"So do I." 

"You know, I've been wondering about something." 

"Ask." 

She looked up at him again. "Why did you give Eric the Quantum morpher?" 

"Eric? We needed the Q-Rex." 

"Would have made more sense to give it to Wes." 

He smiled and shrugged, and tightened his arms around her, pulling her head back to his shoulder. "I figured it was better to have both of them. Besides, I had -- a gut feeling." 

"Well, looks like your gut was right." She smiled. "So strange, what ended up happening, in the past. He and Wes became partners and friends. Used the morphers again, against new threats to the timeline." 

"Yeah, funny how things worked out." He suddenly grinned. "I knew history showed the red and Quantum Rangers continued to be active in Silver Hills. Thought somehow I would end up staying there, after the rest of you had died. But it was Eric, not me, as the Quantum Ranger." 

"Alex..." 

"Mmm?" 

"I wonder. If you hadn't stolen the morpher, if you hadn't come back... What would have happened if Command had sent it and the Q-Rex back without you, like they planned? What if someone from 2001 had found it?" 

"Anyone could have found it, and used it. An untrained Ranger... Maybe someone like Eric, the way he was at first... The four of you, with a rookie red Ranger and an unpredictable Quantum Ranger, against Ransik and Frax. Would have been a disaster." 

Jen stirred in his arms. "I don't know about that. Ever heard of the Quantum Destiny theory?" 

"That the timeline absorbs changes, and adjusts for them, so that everything turns out about the same? Unless there's a change too big to reverse, and you get a quantum shift of reality, like the time wave." 

"Yes. Like a stream of water. Throw a rock in, and the ripples are gone a little way downstream, like nothing happened. But throw in a boulder, and the water goes off in a new direction." 

"It's more philosophy than science. Don't tell me you believe in it." 

"I think it's possible. But I guess we'll never know." 

"Yes. And we have more important things to think about tonight." 

She could barely see his smile in the light glowing from the city beneath them, as he bent his head to kiss her again. But then she didn't need to see... 

* * *

  
  


* End *


End file.
